My Single Heart, Beats Twice For You
by Kode Dekka
Summary: Fate Testarossa is a lonely woman, who often indulges in fantasies of the past. When a lost love reenters her life, everything changes. Now she has hopes, that she can get a second chance at the happy future that once eluded her. Rated T for now. NxF.
1. The Sudden Reawakening

_A/N: I'm on a roll in terms of story writing. I haven't felt this refreshed in a long time, its good to write so many different things. As I stated in my other story, I was planning on making a new, maybe longer story, with a more grounded and less depressing plot. Well, this is it. Please keep in mind, that I don't always know what I'm talking about, so lots of things maybe be just guesswork and intuition as a writer. Anyway, this story, is more or less, one of loneliness. Having everything, and yet nothing at the same time. This story is a new experiment, and is unlike anything else I've written, keep that in mind as well. I don't know when I'll update it again, but it probably wont be too long. So enjoy, and don't forget to tell me how I can improve future chapters :)._

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

"_Nee, Fate-chan." Nanoha snuggled close to me, she buried herself in my waiting chest. _

"_What is it, Nanoha?" She smiled at me, it was warm, much warmer than her bare chest and naked body against mine. _

"_What do you think we'll be like, you know, in the future?" I pulled her in closer, it felt like I she was melting into me. _

"_We'll probably still be the same as we are right now? Though, I bet you'll be more beautiful than you already are right now." Her smile widened, I found myself smiling as well. _

"_You're such a flatterer, but that isn't what I mean. I mean, 'us', what will our relationship be like?" _

_I didn't know why she was asking, but I didn't mind it, because I already had the answer. _

"_We'll still be together of course. We'll live together, get married if that's what you want. Everything will be perfect, our own little 'happily ever after'." It seems like that was the right answer, because she moved her head up, and kissed me gently. _

"_That sounds nice. I look forward to it, my love." _

"_As do I, my darling." _

_And then we stayed like that for a long time, and fell asleep; blessed with dreams of a happy future, that couldn't be far away. _

My Single Heart, Beats Twice For You

By Kode-Dekka

Chapter 1: The Sudden Reawakening of A Distance Dream

"Mmm, Nanoha..." I felt a chill against my body, it was unpleasant, it caused my eyes to flutter slowly open. My mind was in a daze, I also had a headache, everything felt distorted. I was in my home, on my bed. I wasn't alone. A woman slept beside me, and for a moment, my heart jumped. "Nanoha." The woman stirred under the covers, but then just went back to sleep. She was tall, and slim, and had long... black hair. My sense of reality came back, and I cursed myself. _It was only that dream again. _I didn't want to think about it, so instead I did my best to recall the events of last night.

I was at a party, it was another really boring one; I remember drinking a lot. And then, I met a women, the one who was beside me now. I thought she was cute, so I flirted with her for a bit, and she easily took the bait. After a while we came back here, and then, and then...

"I'm so stupid..." I didn't remember much after that point. What I _did _remember, was that this woman was rough in the sack, it was like riding a damn horse. And then, I went to sleep, and had that cursed dream again, the one of better times, when I was truly happy. A beautiful dream, of my lost love, of Nanoha. _Damn it..._

It was a beautiful romance, one that outshines any other. But now, it was all over, and had been for a long time. Still, I had dreams sometimes, and it was starting to get on my nerves.

I sighed, rose from the bed and left my guest there, fleeing to the bathroom. Right away I stripped, until not an article of clothing remained. I stood there, looking at my body in the full-sized mirror on my wall. I examined it, admired it, and cursed it all at the same time.

I started the hot water of my shower, climbed into the tub, let the droplets singe my skin. I didn't really even move, just stood there, getting wet; it was silly, I felt like quite the fool.

I was thirty-five, would be thirty-six in just a week. Yet here I was, reminiscing of a old flame, which only lasted during high school, before being blown out. I felt pathetic. _That damn dream, why do I have to keep being tortured by it? _

But I knew why. Deep down, somewhere in my heart, I still cared for that beautiful girl, who dumped me nearly twenty years ago. By now, she was probably married to a guy, or maybe to a girl, and likely had a few kids. Me? I was old, lonely, being comforted only by large amounts of alcohol, and the touch of cheap floozies. While there was no doubt that the woman laying in my bed was probably a nice girl, I was pretty confident that she wouldn't stay for just the romance.

I was the CEO of a widely successful research center, one that specialized in the destruction of diseases once thought impossible to cure. With all the world's best experts at my disposal, I've had no trouble producing top of the line equipment and remedies. Fate Testarossa, there wasn't a single hospital, government, or insurance company that hadn't heard my name uttered at least once or twice a day. I was powerful, influential, and most importantly, loaded; set for life.

But at the end of the day, or at the start, if this counts, I had nothing to really show for it all. Here I stood, letting my skin get burned in a hot shower. I was a person who guzzled down alcohol like a cheap drunk, and slept with any pretty woman that would give me their attention. Even though I had everything that the world had to offer, I was always lacking one thing; love. Without anyone to share this vast fortune with, what was the point of having it?

I shut the water off angrily, climbed out and wrapped a towel around my body. I didn't like being alone like this, it gave me too much time to think to myself; ironically, about being so alone.

I shook my head, water flew everywhere, but I still shook it as hard as I could, until all the bad thoughts went away. I opened the bathroom door, and found my little guest staring at me from the bed. "There you are, you should have woken me up." I noticed that she looked a lot cuter now that I was sober, so cute I couldn't help it by open my big mouth.

"You looked so cute, I didn't have the heart to do it." She blushed, smiling at me. She was young, far younger than me, by at least ten years. I made a mental note. One of these days, if I wasn't careful, my drunken, womanizing ways were going to get me in trouble with the law.

"Something wrong?" I must have just been staring into space. I shook my head, pushed my fingers through my long blond hair, and started toward her. Thoughts of my dreams, of Nanoha flooded my mind, but I pushed it away.

"Nothing at all." I came in close to her, titled her face up, and took her lips with my own. She closed her eyes, and let herself be taken. It was a short kiss, I didn't need to get all hot and bothered again. When I broke from her, I softened my expression. "Sorry, but I must be going, I'm sure you can show yourself out." She giggled, giving me a dissatisfied sigh.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Well, your reputation certainly precedes you, Testarossa-san." The woman, whose name I couldn't remember, got out from the bed. Grabbed her scattered clothing from the floor, and made her way to the bathroom that I had just came out of. With her gone, I got dressed, putting on a white suit.

I was ready for a new day, though there wasn't much for me to do; just sit around, tell people what to do, go to meetings, and sign papers. It was boring, but it was my life's work, it was too late to start having a change of heart now.

I heard the shower start, but ignored it. I went over to my desk, grabbed my cell phone and checked all the messages. Already, I had at least twenty things waiting for me, mostly just status reports. It was all a bother, but it was the life I had chosen.

I left the room, walked down the stairs of my extravagantly large house, and headed to the garage. I had several cars waiting for me. _Hm, which one am I in the mood for today?_ I could have just hired someone to drive me around, but I liked the feel of driving, it made me feel like I still fit in with the rest of the world. So today, I decided, I wanted to feel the wind in my hair. I choose the convertible.

* * *

"Good morning, Testarossa-san." I got the standard greeting from all my busy bees as I entered the building of our main office. They all looked happy like always. They led simple lives, they were _normal_. I envied them a little. Aside for the nice atmosphere, it was a busy day, just like any other.

When I entered my office, a small man grinned at me and patted me on the shoulder. "Have fun, Boss." I saw the pile of paperwork on my desk, it was obvious that he left it there. I dismissed him, and he went back to his normal duties. I closed the door, leaving myself isolated from everyone else. And then I got to work.

A knock at the door interrupted me maybe ten minutes later. I just continued working. "Come in."A woman walked in. She was tall, very masculine looking, and carried a stern expression. "What can I do for you, Signum?"

"The applicants are here, ma'am." Her red hair danced she moved. She looked at me with an exasperated expression upon seeing my surprised face. "You forgot again, didn't you?"

"I had a long night, please don't ask me for the details." She nodded. The woman was obedient, which was probably why I enjoyed having her around, she didn't grate on my nerves with her chatter.

"Shall I send one of them in?"

"Yeah. Thank you." Signum nodded again and left. I had completely forgotten. I was supposed to hire an assistant for myself today, someone to help take the heavy workload off me. I could be such a moron. _No more drinking on a workday._ That made me smile a little, _every _day was a workday.

The first woman that came in was young. She was also cute, but that wasn't the important thing. Looking at her resume, I found that she was certainly qualified, but there was something I just didn't like about her. Perhaps it was because she was so giddy, she moved around too much. I knew it right off the bat, she would probably screw up a lot. So after the interview was over, I sent her away, saying I would consider her, even though that wouldn't happen.

Each applicant was similar. No matter how skilled or qualified they were, I found some fault with them. At this rate, I would just be back where I started.

In the end, I didn't like a single one, and sent them all away with empty hopes.

Signum came back after the last one had left. She was good at reading my mood, I guess that's why I hired her in the first place. "Were none of them to your liking, ma'am?"

"They were fine, the problem is me. I'm just too picky, its a curse." Signum gave me a tiny smile, a rare sight that I burned into my memory.

"Well regardless, I wanted to inform you that another one just arrived rather late. Shall I turn her away?"

"No, I'll do it, send her in."

"Understood." So Signum left, and brought the next one in. She was a tall girl, my height. She had a good figure, and lovely blue eyes. Most of all, she had the most wonderful and long brown hair I'd ever seen.

"Sorry I'm late, I had a bit of an emergency at home. Thank you for seeing me, Testarossa-san." Her voice, was like music to my ears. And her smile, it was like looking at the sun.

"Excuse me." Signum coughed and left us alone, closing the door. When it closed, I finally breathed out, and felt my heart hammering in my chest.

"This is quite the surprise. Its been so long. You're the last person I expected to see here." The woman's cheeks flushed.

"Yes, fate sure is a strange thing, isn't it?" I was so stunned, that I forgot the most important thing, the thing that I've wanted to say to her, since long ago.

"Its really nice to see you again, Nanoha." The shyness from her face disappeared, and her lips curved even further.

"Yes, its good to see you too, Fate-chan."


	2. Memories of Feelings Long Gone

_A/N: Sorry this took so long. I have most of the story in mind, but its already hard to pad it out. Anyway, this chapter is mostly from Nanoha's perspective, and you get to see a glimpse of how her life has turned out, and a little bit about her feelings. I'm being careful, I don't want to reveal everything too soon, so bare with me as we take things slowly. Finally, thank you for the reviews, I love to see that people are enjoying what I write, so continue to enjoy it. _

_And now its off to the cave, where I must create a story for Halloween. **Happy Halloween For Hayate ;)  
**_

_- Kode-Dekka_**_  
_**

* * *

Chapter 2:

Memories of Feelings Long Gone

"Its good to see you too, Fate-chan." It was a phrase that Nanoha never thought she'd say, because she never would have thought she'd have to. All those years ago, when they were lovers, what she would have said was: 'Good morning, Fate-chan', or 'See you later, Fate-chan'. This phrase implied that they have not seen each other for a long time, and indeed, its been quite along time since they last met. To Nanoha, that stretch of nearly 20 years, was more like forever. Though it was a long time ago, even now she remembered those happy times, with her precious Fate-chan.

But those times were all gone, nothing more than memories. Here they were again, face to face. But now, things had changed. Nanoha did not come here today as her lover, or even as her friend, but as a potential employee for Fate's company. In the time that they were separated, Nanoha watched the growth of her friend, as she rose to the top of the world. Seeing how successful Fate had become, Nanoha felt a little lonely, and regretful. It was her after all, that their relationship ended all those years ago.

_Silly Nanoha_. She was getting too distracted by her memories. Even if it was Fate in front of her, she needed to act like it was anyone else, and be professional about this. So she straightened up, folded her hands over her lap, and put on a serious expression. "Forgive me, Testarossa-san. I didn't mean to use your name so causally, its just that old habits are hard to kill, as they say." Fate looked at her, bewildered. But then she coughed.

" R-Right, I guess that's true, Takamachi-san." _That's right..._ This was how it should be. They may have been friends at one time, but now they were strangers. Strangers shouldn't talk so closely, shouldn't speak so affectionately. Now that they were reunited, Nanoha knew that there would be time to build their friendship up again. Even if she wasn't hired, she could still see her, that was the important part. So for right now, she acted as she should, like a stranger. Fate, seeing that she was serious, was able to do the same.

So they had their interview, where Nanoha answered every question honestly. In the time that they were apart, she had done some military training, and also served as a nurse. And in order to obtain this job, she read as much medical research as possible. She knew that she could do this, she worked so hard for all these years, for just this moment.

When the interview finally ended, Fate sighed, and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Nanoha, who had never felt so relieved, wanted to do the same, but remained in a professional posture. Afterward, she would go home, and hope that she got the job.

"The job is yours, Takamachi-san."_ That was fast!_ Nanoha was so stunned that she almost fell out of her chair.

"W-What do you mean? The interview just ended. Surely you couldn't have made a decision so fast." Fate smiled at her, a warm smile.

"To tell the truth, there are a few others who have better qualifications, they're the ones I probably should hire, if we were strictly talking experience." Nanoha didn't understand it. Something did come to mind though,_ Don't tell me..._

"Testarossa-san. I hope that you aren't giving me this job, just because we knew each other in the past." If that was the case, she would never forgive Fate. If that was the case, then all of her hard work would have been for nothing. Her very existence might as well be denied.

"I remember that look, you think too hard about things like this. Don't worry, I'm doing it because I really think that you're the best for the job."

"How can you tell so quickly?"

"You're right, and if this was just a matter of how well trained you are, I should give it more thought. But, as it stands, you're the only applicant that doesn't get on my nerves in some way." Fate then chuckled at Nanoha. "Also, don't forget, who is the one in charge of this place. If I want to chose you, then I'll chose you. Right now, I can't think of hiring anyone else." Nanoha still felt uncomfortable, like she cheated somehow.

"It still doesn't feel right, I don't think I can take the job." Even though this was what she always wanted, Nanoha felt like she couldn't accept. She sensed it, that their past was influencing this decision. So she got up from her seat, ready to leave. Fate got up as well, however she extended her hand to Nanoha.

"I wont take no for an answer. Besides, if I don't hire an assistant that I can get along with, then what's the point?" Nanoha still felt that something was off, but she could see that Fate was at least serious this time, that it wasn't just on a whim or out of past affection. And, the voice in her head wouldn't leave her alone, the one that begged her to take this job. Even if she didn't do this on her own merit, Nanoha she had to take it, there was no other choice. Besides, it wasn't just for her, she also working hard, for two. Considering that, it became impossible to resist such an easy win.

"Okay, I'll take the job."

"Good! You start tomorrow, so be prepared." Nanoha took Fate's hand, and they shook on it. "Welcome aboard, Takamachi-san."

* * *

When Nanoha left my office, I felt a huge weight being lifted from me. I sighed, and slumped back in my seat, exhausted. Signum came in soon after, and took my lack of enthusiasm as a bad sign. "Was she no good as well?" I shook my head, and put a hand on my face.

"No, I gave her the job, she'll be starting tomorrow." This really surprised Signum, who almost never showed emotion.

"You work fast, she must really be something then." I smiled.

"Yeah, she is. But I'm worried, I feel like I made a rash decision." I had never told this woman about my past, or anyone else for that matter, because it wasn't important enough to mention. But now, the past was following me around, it would be impossible to avoid things now. "Back in high school, I dated her. In fact, if she hadn't broke things off, I'd like to think that we still would be together now."

"So you hired her, because you're still in love with her?"

"No no, that's not it." I denied that as quickly as possible, maybe too quickly. Then I sighed again. "Its just, I feel like I did hire her, because we have a history. Of course, I lied to her, and said that she was the only candidate I considered for things. She's qualified, and capable of working here, but I'm worried that I'm going to treat her differently, just because she was once a special person to me." For this, Signum sat down, right in front of me, and gave me a playful gaze.

"If she's the one you want, then no one will object to her being here. Just make sure that you treat her the same as everyone else, I'm sure she would want that as well. I trust your judgment, as does everyone here, so how about you trust it a little too." That was exactly what I needed to hear, and it calmed me down.

"You're right. Thank you Signum, you're a good friend."

"And you're a good boss, best one I know." I sighed happily. She then excused herself, and I was all alone again. There was still a stack of paperwork to get through, it was going to be a long night. _Well, I best get to work..._ I got myself a cup of coffee, and then did my best not to think about Nanoha.

* * *

"I'm home~!" Nanoha called out to her quiet apartment as she entered. Right away, a small girl with blond hair appeared in the hall and ran to her.

"Mama!" She tackled Nanoha with a hug, and the woman embraced her tightly. A second later, another woman came into view. She was small, much smaller than Nanoha, and had fiery red hair.

"You're late."

"Sorry Vita, I hope that she wasn't too much trouble." Nanoha let go of the small child and patted her head. "Vivio, say goodbye to Auntie-Vita, and get ready for bed, okay?"

"Un!" Vivio ran off and hugged Vita, before disappearing around the corner. When they were alone, Vita's expression softened, and she smiled.

"She really is a handful, just like her mother."

"Sorry for always asking you to do this, I know you're busy too." Vita waved it off, and walked toward Nanoha.

"I'm your friend, that's what I'm here for. Putting that aside how did it go?"

"Better than I expected, I got the job." Nanoha's eyes lit up as she remembered the interview, and how she got to see her dear friend again. "I was surprised, she's just as fickle as she was during high school." Vita laughed, which she didn't do often.

"I'm happy for you. With the pay you'll getting, maybe you can finally move out of this dump." Nanoha didn't need to be reminded, that her current living situation was less than favorable. Until now, it was all she could afford.

"We'll see. I may have got the job, but that doesn't mean I'm in the clear. Everything, it all starts tomorrow." Vita nodded.

"Do your best. You deserve this, more than anyone else..." Without saying another word, Vita slipped past Nanoha, though she was stopped by her taller friend, whose arms wrapped themselves around her waist. Everything was still, except for their heartbeats, which started to accelerate.

Vita's face became crimson, and she shook a little. "Nanoha, you know..."

"Yeah, I know, we can't do this anymore. But seeing her again, made me feel kind of lonely." Vita placed a hand over top of Nanoha's, she wanted to pry them away, but just couldn't.

"Nanoha, we can't. You know I'm with Hayate, she's already gotten suspicious. We have to stop this, someone is going to get hurt, and I don't want that person to be you." Nanoha's arms loosened, and then fell to both sides. \

"Sorry, I'm just so selfish, and I guess its isn't a good time for me. You've already done so much for me, more than I can ever pay back. Thank you, Vita."

"I just did what any good friend would do, that's all."

"Regardless, thank you so much." Now that she was free, Vita opened the door.

"See ya." And so she left, and Nanoha was all alone again. She locked the door to her beat up apartment, and then went off to tuck Vivio in.

When she got to her room, she flopped down on the bed, and covered her eyes with her arms. She thought about Fate, and about their history together. Longing surfaced in her heart, but she pushed it away.

Her bed felt cold. There was no one in it but her there hadn't been anyone else for two years. She buried herself under her blanket, and felt her heart ache again. This time she couldn't push it away. Nanoha embraced those lonely feelings, and did her best to fall asleep. No doubt, she would be having another dream of the past tonight, of a happier world, where a certain blond was waiting for her.


	3. The Horrible, Awful, Wonderful First Day

_A/N: A slow chapter today, but not without its share of delicious content. Hehe~ Enjoy. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

Chapter 3:

The Horrible, Awful, Wonderful First Day

* * *

Nanoha showed up right on time, even a little bit early. When I found her in my office, she seemed to be very cheerful; much different than me, since I was extremely tired. "Good morning, Testarossa-san." She greeted me with a bright smile on my face.

"Good morning, _Nan_-Takamachi-san." I almost slipped and called her by her given name again. _This is hard._ However, it was what she wanted, so I would do it this way, at least for now. "You seem energetic."

"I just had a lot of coffee. Speaking of which..." She handed me a warm cup with a black liquid inside. I took it from her and took a sip, it was good, just what I needed.

"Thanks." She shook her head and bowed to me.

"Thank you for giving me this job, I'm in your care." This was bad, my face was completely red, I was blushing to terribly. I almost forgot the reason why she was here in the first place. She was my assistant, and I guessed now was a good a time as ever to put her to work.

"T-Takamachi-san." She raised her head, still wearing that smile. "Lets do our best."

"Okay!" And so, we got to work.

In the first place, my room was horribly messy. The files I've been working on, not organized in the slightest. If I wasn't the boss, I probably would have been fired by now. The first task I gave Nanoha, was cleaning up all the papers and folders scattered everywhere. At first I felt like I was just making her a maid; but then I saw how serious she looked as she started gathering things, it convinced me that this was alright. I started filling out more paperwork, reading proposals, going over financial data, the usual stuff.

Nanoha was as quiet, and as quick as a mouse. I worked through things really slowly, but she seemed to be blazing. I made an educated guess in my head, that she had actually been a maid before, or something of the sort. Or maybe, the army service she partook in made her especially diligent, it was hard to tell. The point was, she was doing her job fast and efficiently. A job that wouldn't have taken me hours, took her only thirty minutes to complete.

"Testarossa-san." She said when she was done making the room a little nicer to look at. I nodded, and sighed.

"Good work. I guess, I'll need you to organize those things over there." I pointed to a huge stack of papers. She nodded without a complaint, and got to work. This was taking her a little more time. It was alright, the documents she was sorting through were extremely complicated. However, she told me that she read all my research, so it should be fine. I just scribbled away, watching her from time to time. It was impossible to keep my mind off her, especially since she was this close.

_Bad Fate. _I mentally slapped myself. If I let my thoughts run away, I might start day-dreaming again, something I didn't exactly have time for. Again I sighed, and just did my best to focus on my work. _I wonder if she remembers..._ I slapped myself mentally again. _Damn it, I'm so stupid. _I was Fate Testarossa, a genius in the medical world, and yet I couldn't even keep my thoughts in order, it was middle school all over again. Again, I sighed.

_

* * *

She's sighing a lot, I wonder if I'm doing something wrong._ Nanoha couldn't help but think this as she sorted all the documents she was given. It wasn't particularly hard, just tedious. That was good, it kept her from thinking needless things, like how beautiful she still thought Fate was, even after all these years. _Stupid..._ She felt her mind going into the gutter, but quickly bounced back. Then she heard Fate sigh again, and started to worry. She seemed to be doing things right, _so what is it..?_ She couldn't figure it out. All she could do was take quick glances at her boss from time to time. Fate looked tried, stressed even. Her cheeks were also a little red, however, that only happened after she caught Nanoha looking at her once.

She looked at the clock. It was only her first day, and she'd only been here for about an hour and a half. Already, she was starting to feel a bit fatigued. She knew, it was going to be a long day.

* * *

I finally finished my work a little past noon. Nanoha had been done for a while, and I didn't really have anything for her to do. I still wasn't used to having an assistant, so we didn't talk much either, it was a little discouraging.

When lunch came around, Nanoha offered to get me coffee, or anything I wanted. I forgot, that was also part of her job, in a way. I was hungry, very hungry. However I knew, any moment, Signum, or someone else, was going to come in here with another stack of papers for me. That's how it usually was. Since I had so many talented employees, I hardly did any of the actual test with our new cures and technology. It was boring, being the head of this place, having so many people working under me.

In the end, I sighed and resigned to my fate. I asked Nanoha to get me some fresh coffee, she nodded like a good little bee. As soon as she went out the door, Signum came in. _I hate being right._ She was indeed carrying a stack of things for me.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." I know I looked like hell.

"Signum, any chance that I get out of this, and oversee the new project?" We were testing a machine, which would eliminate cancer cells. If it worked, that would be another threat gone. Unfortunately, she shook her head.

"I'm afraid you'll have your hands full. Unless of course, you want your new assistant to do all the work for you." She had me. Even though Nanoha was new, she was smart, she would be fine, and I could leave it to her. I probably would have, if I was a horrible person. But I couldn't take advantage of her, it was impossible for me.

"Just leave the work here and be on your way, you meanie." She showed me a tiny smile and left the stack in front of me. She turned around, "Oh, don't forget to Shari my regards, I'm sure she's working herself to death again." Signum nodded and left.

Nanoha came back in with a piping hot cup of coffee, only one, seeming to forget herself. I took it from her, and for a moment, our hands brushed. I was overly conscious about it, probably the only one really thinking about it. For that moment, I thought about the past, about old times, about the love that we shared.

A memory welled up inside me, a familiar one. We had just made love again, and now, Nanoha was bringing me coffee. She was still naked, and so beautiful. As she handed me the cup, I felt her hands, and it was like her warmth was flooding into me. We kissed again at that time, and said 'I love you' to each other. Then again, we made love, forgetting the coffee.

"Testarossa-san?" Nanoha's voice suddenly broke that wonderful dream, being me back to reality.

"Sorry, its nothing." To hide my embarrassment, I asked to her help me with the new bunch of paperwork. I set the coffee down at my desk, and did my best to work, taking extra care not to look at her. If I did that now, my face would probably explode into a sea of red.

I halted for a moment while Nanoha continued for me. I took the cup of coffee, and held it to my lips. I took a small sip. For another moment, I recalled that memory again. A small smile came to my lips before I realized it. _Its warm..._

* * *

Nanoha stepped into her home after a long day of work. Again, Vita was watching Vivio for her. Speaking of the small girl, she once again came charging at her as soon as she entered. "Mama~!" She hugged her child tightly, lifting her up into the air, and then setting her back down. Vita came into view, giving her a look, one that was both happy and sad.

"Welcome back, how was work." She rubbed my neck, sighing.

"A little tiring, but I'm alright."

She threw her stuff to the side and let Vivio walk her into the kitchen, where dinner was waiting. It was hamburger steak for tonight. Nanoha didn't remember buying any, so she figured that it was probably Vita. "Thanks." She said and hugged her friend.

"I figured you wouldn't be in the mood to cook. Don't expect me to do this every day though."

"Yeah yeah..." Nanoha started eating as Vivio happily watched her, humming a nice song.

When she was finished, she asked Vita to tuck Vivio in while she took a shower, to which the small woman agreed. Nanoha walked leisurely to the bathroom, and turned on the water, making sure it was hot. Then she climbed in and just let the water purify her...

By the time she got out, Vivio was fast asleep, and Vita was waiting for her. Nanoha, instead of escorting her friend out, went to her room and flopped down on her back. She smiled, even though her body hurt.

"You're really gonna sleep in that?" She shook her head, and then flipped herself over on her stomach.

"Vita, could you give me a massage? I'm feeling stiff." Vita hesitated, but she knew that she would do it anyway, so she walled into the room and started pressing her hands against Nanoha's back.

There wasn't supposed to be anything strange about it. However, as it continued, Nanoha's felt a familiar desire in her, and her breathing became a little laboured Not meaning to, she let out a moan, at which point Vita stopped.

"Its late, I should get going." But as Vita got up and started to flee, Nanoha grabbed her wrist and held her in place. She turned her eyes toward Nanoha, and looked deep in her eyes. "We shouldn't, we _can't_." But nothing more was said, the brunette just watched her, pleading with her eyes. Finally, Vita relaxed herself, and was released. "Fine..." She said slowly, in a whisper. Nanoha got up from the bed, and removed the robe she was wearing. "This really is the last time, okay...?" She nodded.

_"Sorry..."_ And then, Nanoha pulled Vita into a powerful embrace, and kissed her.

* * *

"Fuwaaa~!" I threw myself down on my bed, tired as all hell. The night had just landed, but I didn't feel like going out today. All the bones in my body ached, I just felt extra exhausted today. All I could do, was lay there and stare at the ceiling. It was kind of nice, peaceful even.

Even though it was a hard day, I got to see Nanoha again, so I was happy. I knew I shouldn't be this happy, but I was. _This is dumb, it was 18 years ago..._ I knew that our relationship was over, and that it would never be reformed. In the first place, I still didn't even know Nanoha's circumstances. I had no idea what kind of life she was living right now. She was beautiful, she had gotten more beautiful over the years. I knew it was impossible, for her to be anything but married. She must have had a special someone, there is no way anyone wouldn't fall for her.

Those thoughts were painful. All I was doing was hurting myself, all over something that had long ended. Right now though, my worst fears were confirmed, I was still in love with her. I never moved on in the first place, and seeing her again, just did nothing but dig up all of my old feelings. _Stupid..._ I covered my face with my hands, trying to drive the painful thoughts away. All I did was make myself more tired than I was before.

_Stupid..._


	4. The Beginning of Something Beautiful

_A/N: An update, fast this time. Finally, some development of Nanoha and Fate's actual relationship. Also, as a hint toward the future: Hayate wont be appearing for a little while (maybe another 4 chapters or so), but it will be worth the wait. Also, in this story, she's a total badass. That's all you need to know. See ya, until next time. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

Chapter 4:

The Beginning of Something Beautiful, Again...

* * *

Nanoha had only been here a week, but already I noticed that she had gotten used to the swing of things. She was quick, efficient, and very good at anything she did. It really was like being back in school with her. She was always getting good grades, she was one of the academic stars of our high school. So as I worked beside her on this Friday afternoon, I started to wonder: just why was she here? She could have done anything she wanted, regardless of what it was, why was she limiting herself to such a easy job?

Before I knew it, the hours flew by again. This kept happening, I kept spacing out, thinking about silly things like that. Ever since Nanoha came back to me, I haven't been able to think straight. I noticed it too, she was starting to pick up my slack. If I didn't get myself together soon, she really would end up doing all my work for me.

Part of the problem, was that I still had feelings for her, even after all these years. But I was an adult, so I could keep those hidden, and I could push them aside. She was my employee, so I had to be professional, I couldn't risk losing her again through my foolishness. However, it was hard not to remember, the good times, our friendship. Even if she couldn't become my lover, I at least wanted our friendship to return to what it once was. I wanted to call her by her name again, I didn't want us to be so mechanical anymore.

"Testarossa-san?" She was looking at me, worried. "Are you alright? You've been spacing out for a while." I did my best to clear my head.

"Yeah, I'm just tired, that's all." And I was tired, of many things.

"I'll get you some coffee." She got up and left her work, leaving the room before I could protest. I just watched her go, looking at her back. When she was gone I sighed, slamming my head against the desk. _Idiot, idiot, idiot!_ This was no good, I was no good like this. I couldn't stand it anymore, I didn't like this horrible tension between us. Being called 'Testarossa-san', almost made me feel sick. Even when it came from everyone else I didn't like it, but from Nanoha, it was even worse. It was professional,_ I_ was professional, but that didn't mean I wanted to be addressed in such a cold, formal matter.

I decided. This incident with Nanoha made me understand, something had to be done right now. Starting right now, there was going to be some changes, which would start when Nanoha got back.

"Testarossa-san?" I nearly jumped out of my skin, bad move. Since I had my head down, and had been so into my thoughts, I never noticed Nanoha. My sudden movement made her sequel, and jump as well. The hot coffee she was carrying, flew out of her hands, and landed on my arm. It really was hot, very hot, so damn hot that I wanted to scream. "Testarossa-san!" Thankfully, Nanoha did it for me.

Right away, Signum came in, asking what was wrong. She saw the coffee, my pained expression, and put it together really fast. "Hurry and get me some ice!" Nanoha nodded and dashes away. I saw her face for a moment before she left, it was so painful, full of so much despair.

The pain in my arm had subsided a bit, but it stilled burned. "We should get you to a hospital."

"I'm fine, it will be okay when Nanoha gets back." For now, there was a water cooler with cold, purified water inside. We used that to keep my arm cool, and soon Nanoha came back with a pack of ice. I held it on my burned arm, and sighed. _I'm so glad that wasn't my face._

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Nanoha looked like she was about to cry. Signum made a motion to scold her, and it would have been harsh. I intervened.

"I'll handle this, you go make sure that no one is freaking out." My voice and my eyes left no room for discussion. She nodded and left us alone, closing the door behind her. From outside, I heard whispers from people listening in. They thought I was really going to lay into Nanoha, and maybe fire her. If I wasn't such a rational person, I might have done that.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Nanoha just whimpered, not since our break up, had I seen her so sad. Again, I sighed.

"Its alright Nanoha, relax." Her eyes became wide, I realized that I just called her by her first name. I didn't correct myself, and just dropped the act completely. "This was my fault, I wasn't paying attention, so you don't have to look like that."

"But, I still should have been more careful. If you want to fire me, I would understand." I vaguely remember other times like this one, where she was so sad that she wanted to cry. I patted her head, shaking mine.

"I wont fire you, you're the best thing to happen to this place since me." I laughed. "I do have one condition though."

"W-What?" She sniffled, keeping in her tears.

"Please stop calling me 'Testarossa-san', it gives me the creeps." And then, I said the thing I wanted to say. "Can we start over again? I mean, you're a good employee and everything, but I think I prefer you as a friend. Its distracting, and its all I think about. I understand if you don't want to, but I think things would go a lot smoother if we dropped the professional act, and just acted like ourselves." My burn didn't feel so painful anymore, maybe it was because I was so focused in this moment right now.

Nanoha, opened her mouth, but didn't say anything and closed it. She bit her lip, thought to herself. Finally, she smiled. "I thought that since we hadn't seen each other for so long, that it would be better not to act so friendly, and to just do our jobs properly. But you're right, it is a little distracting, being so cold to each other, thinking about old times. I'm tired of it too."

"Good, then shall we drop those damn formalities, Nanoha?"

"Sure thing, Fate-chan." We sighed at the same time, and then laughed. A weird thought came to mind, and I couldn't stop it from becoming words.

"After work is finished, do you want to go get something to eat." I never expected the reaction I got, particularity form outside the room. There was a huge outcry, and shouts as the door flew open. Signum and Shari barged in, and several of my employees had been waiting out there, looking jealous and a bit angry.

"How could you!" Shari started whining, "You're never ask us out. No fair!" I thought I had already gotten used to her over exaggerating attitude, but it seemed that wasn't the case. She was right though. All of my workers, were a bit like family to me, but I still kept my distance. Without realizing it, I did the thing that I was trying to avoid, treating Nanoha differently. I think Nanoha also understood that.

"Its fine, I'm afraid I'll have to decline." I put all the idiots outside on hold, and turned to Nanoha.

"Fine, but at least let me drive you home." She nodded. And then I returned to the current problem.

"Everyone calm down." The crowd outside stopped. I wished they'd get back to work, but some things are a little more important. I put my hand on Shari's shoulder. She blushed, but I ignored that. "Shari, I want you to go out there, and tell everyone, that from now on, they don't have to call me 'Testarossa-san'. Its fine to call me Fate, or Fate-chan once in a while. And, they don't have to act so serious all the time around me." She nodded.

"But why the change of heart."

"Its been a long time coming, I never liked it to begin with." She nodded again obediently.

"I'll do it, but I think it would be better coming from you." My cheeks turned a little red.

"I'm embarrassed. Besides, I'm your boss, so just do as I say and don't ask questions. Also, tell everyone to get back to work already."

"Yes ma'am!" She saluted me and waltzed out of the office. Signum stayed behind, and looked at Nanoha, there was still a little anger, but she seemed to have gotten over it for the most part.

"Are you sure its alright?"

"Yeah Signum. It probably wouldn't hurt for things around here to be a little warmer." Signum nodded, bowing.

'If that's what you want, Testarossa." She dropped the 'san' at the end, but she was a serious person, so she left the rest. That was fine, it suited her anyway. And so, Signum left the office, leaving me and Nanoha alone. I took the ice pack, and just set it aside, my arm was red, but there was no damage.

I leaned against my desk, looking at Nanoha, who was looking back at me, smiling. "That was quite a fuss, you're so popular, Fate-chan."

"They're all idiots, but I did pick them myself, so I guess I'm just as big an idiot." I glanced at my desk. For once, I was actually ahead of schedule. _It should be alright._ "Say Nanoha, how about we take off early.

"Are you sure? There's still a lot of work to do."

"Yeah, it can wait until tomorrow. Come on." The two of us left my office. We walked past some employees, who greeted me as Fate-san, which made me feel warmer inside. Nanoha got some looks from the women, and some men, who seemed jealous that she was walking so close to me. _I guess I'm more popular than I thought._ We did out best to ignore the stares, and left as quietly as possible.

* * *

Nanoha felt her heartbeat going at a face pace, as she walked beside Fate. She was finally able to call her the way she wanted, and they were friends again. That was good, it was fine, and Nanoha dared not ask for anything more than that.

When they got to Fate's car, She was amazed, she'd never seen such an expensive looking car in person before. When she thought about their destination, it only made her feel worse about herself. _I wonder what she'll think when we get there._ There was only one way to know, so Nanoha got into the car.

They didn't really talk. Even though they started their friendship over, it was hard to get conversation going. _That's fine, we can work on it, we have all the time in the world. _Nanoha was optimistic, and felt joy rush through her. Though, it only lasted until they got into the neighborhood where she lived.

She noticed Fate's expression change a little when they neared. It was like she was thinking 'did I take a wrong turn?' Nanoha was ashamed, but did her best to hide it as they drove down a shady road.

And then they reached it, the apartment complex where she lived. "We're here, Fate-chan." She stopped, looking up at it.

"Okay, do you want me to walk you up." Nanoha considered telling her no, so that she didn't have to see anymore of her shame. But she was a strong woman, and there was some things that she wanted to show her friend.

"If you don't mind leaving your car here. Shall we?" Fate nodded and shut down the engine.

They went up an elevator, down a hall, past several doors. They came face to face with the one. Nanoha took out a key, and then unlocked the door, they entered.

"Mama~!" Vivio came out as expected, and rushed her. Fate looked surprised, but Nanoha smiled and giggled and held her daughter. Even if her home was a piece of crap, this was the one thing she was never ashamed of. Nanoha held her up in her arms and faced Fate.

"Fate-chan, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Vivio."


	5. Revelations of The Past

_Surprise surprise, another chapter done, two in one day! Somehow, I felt like writing when I got home, so I did. Anyway, what you've all been waiting for, the reason why my favorite couple broke up, and everything that happened afterward. A bit of it feels anti-climatic, but I like it overall. Also note: Exposition dump ahead..._

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

Chapter 5:

Revelations of The Past, And The Reasons Why

* * *

Nanoha and I sat on her couch, side by side. The other woman in the room, someone called Vita, excused herself and left. But before that, she introduced herself, and explained that she was Nanoha's friend, and that she babysat her daughter while she was at work. I sensed that there was something else going on between them, just by the fact that there was a little tension in the air. However, it was none of my business, so I didn't ask about it.

When Vita was gone, and Vivio in bed, Nanoha finally opened up to me. "Its a bit of a long story, but I'm sure you're dying to know. Why exactly I have a daughter, and why the father isn't here. Don't worry, I'll explain everything." I wanted to tell her that it was okay, she really didn't need to explain everything to me. But my curious heart got the better of me, I wanted to know the Nanoha of the past 18 years.

There were two cups of coffee sitting on the table. I picked one of them up, and took a sip. "I wont force you to tell me, its okay to have secrets." _I have have some of my own,_ I thought, in respect to the feelings I still had for her. Nanoha shook her head, reaching for her cup, but then just dropping her hand.

"This is something I want to do. If we're going to be how we were before, then I want you to know, the person I've become." Her eyes looked pained, and bitterness flowed through her voice. "After we broke up, and you left, I remained in this city. After graduation, I had struggled to make my way through nursing school. When I decided not to take over the cafe, my parents supported me, but were able to do very little financially. So, for several years, I worked job after job, toiling to get myself closer to the goal that I crated for myself." I already felt very badly about how things were going. My parents died when I was young, and I inherited a large sum of money, enough to take me anywhere that I wanted to go. It saddened me to be the only one to have things so easy. "Please don't make that face, Fate-chan." She touched my hand, for just a moment. It was a glorious, wonderful moment.

"Sorry, continue." That what wasn't what I wanted to say. In reality, I really wanted to tell her: _If you were having these kinds of problems, you should have called me, and I would have helped you._ But I knew, she wanted to become a strong person, without relying on others, that's why she never contacted me.

Nanoha smiled, looking at me, as if she could read my mind and see through me. "Thank you." She finally took a drink, and then set the cup down. "After nursing school, I found that it was hard to get employment, as there was no shortage of nurses in Japan. My savings were becoming smaller with each day, even though I found many part-time jobs in the mean time. At that point, I decided, that maybe I could put my talents to better use, and so I joined the JSDF (Japan Self-Defense Force). It was there that I met Hayate and Vita. I was just a nobody while I was there, but the two of them, they both served as full-time solders; even though this was hardly an army, and there were no wars to fight." From Nanoha's tone, I figured that things didn't exactly end happily.

"One day, a drunk American soldier went on a rampage, and in the process, shot both me and Vita." Right away, she pulled up her shirt. I was embarrassed at first, up until I saw the look in her eyes, and the small scar on her stomach. "We just happened to be talking when it happened. I was shot in the stomach, and Vita in the chest. After they stopped the man who shot us, and saved our lives, the two of us were discharged. And so, we went back to our ordinary lives." Nanoha's face twisted with disgust, anger, and I have no doubt that anger was directed herself.

"I can see that this is bothering you, its okay to stop." I interlaced our fingers unexpectedly, it was something I used to do a lot, so I did it on instinct. I almost released it, but she placed her remaining hand on top and prevented that.

"After we were discharged, I began living with Vita. Hayate kept going, taking more training, rising further. Eventually, she went away, for several years, and from what she told us, did some _special_ training. Because she was so skilled, she was brought into a secret program, I still don't really know the details. What I do know, is that she's done many things that I could never do." She paused, I saw regret on her face, a regret so great that it looked like it was crush her.

"Nanoha..."

"Its okay, Fate-chan." She sucked in a large breath, again drinking some coffee. "At that time, Vita and Hayate were together, though the relationship become strained. Due to the nature of her work, Hayate wasn't around very much, and when she was, she hardly spoke, and always had a hard expression in her eyes. Regardless, she helped me and allowed me to live in the home that both her and Vita shared. While I was figuring out what to do from that point on, I saw that you had already become a huge success, I remember being very proud of you then." She blushed, I did as well, and for a moment she stopped talking. "About twelve years ago, I started having an affair with Vita." _I knew it..._ I didn't say anything out loud, but that's what I was thinking. My heart twisted for a moment, but I kept it under control.

"For three years, that affair continued, without any end in sight. Hayate never knew, but I'm sure she suspected. And after three years passed, Vita broke it off. It was never going to work out anyway, she loved Hayate with all her heart, it was just that the two of us were lonely; I took advantage of her in her moment of weakness, I still regret that moment to this very day. After that, I moved out and started living on my own. I struggled, but Vita still helped me, despite everything. Just when I finally felt stable, I met a man named Chrono," She paused again, and I knew what was coming. "That man is Vivio's father." She said it with so much distaste, and hatred, I thought I'd melt from the acid coming from her tongue. For some reason, for some stupid reason, I asked a very stupid question.

"Did you love him?" I don't know why I said it, as it only caused Nanoha more pain. And then she smiled, and laughed a dry laugh, it scared me.

"Maybe I thought I did for a time, but I doubt I ever truly loved him. As for Chrono, he hardly loved me, I was just a toy for him to use and throw away. After I got pregnant with Vivio, he ran off, never even saying goodbye."

My heart twisted again, I felt angry all of a sudden. The person whom I had loved so dearly, the person I still cared about so much; someone had inflicted that kind of pain on her, and wounded her heart with that much intensity, enough to practically make her growl at the mention of his name. For a second, I wanted to kill this Chrono. Again, Nanoha noticed my feelings, and smiled warmly.

"You really are kind, I never expected you to react like that, Fate-chan."

"I'm sorry, I just can't stand the fact that someone would do that to you."

"Still, thank you for being so kind. For that, I'll tell you, how I ended up in your office on that day a week ago." Nanoha's warm hand still rested warmly over mine, she even squeezed it tightly. "Do you remember? The reason why I broke up with you."

"Yeah." There was no way I could have forgotten it.

"Back then, I let you go, because I didn't want to become a burden to you. You were smart, rich, you could have flown anywhere, or as high as you chose. But I knew, you would restrict yourself, and limit yourself, you would have sacrificed anything to stay by my side." That was the truth. At that time, I was ready to give up everything, even my future, and my life, just to be with Nanoha. "I didn't have everything you had, the money or the opportunity. I didn't want to keep you chained to me. When you got offers for universities, not just in Japan, but all over the world. When you had people knocking at your door because of your theories and findings, I knew that I couldn't keep you to myself anymore. You had to leave in order to fulfill your full potential, and so I made the choice, and freed you from the things that kept you stuck in this city."

I remembered that, I remember how she explained it. She looked so sad, she was crying so much as she said it, she looked like she would change her mind at any minute. Still, she didn't falter, no matter how much I begged her and confessed my love to her. She held strong, and we broke up, destined to be apart for another 18 years.

"Fate-chan, please don't say anything. There was nothing that could have prevented it, I had to let you go at that time." I was just about to say something too, but shut my mouth quickly. "After Vivio was born, I was a mess, and didn't know what to do with my life. When I saw you on TV, I remembered the reason we broke up. I wanted you to become a great person, and now that you were, it felt like one of my wishes came true. When I looked at my own life, I felt ashamed of myself. I was at rock bottom, struggling just to feed Vivio and myself. Vita helped me out as much as she could, but I couldn't keep using her. So, 6 years ago, I started studying. I had Vita watch Vivio while I went back to school. Seeing you so successful, lifted my spirits, it gave me back my hope, and my drive. All of a sudden, I wanted to see you, I wanted to meet you again so badly that it hurt. But I couldn't do it the way I was, so I worked hard, and studied everything I could. And now, after all this time, I finally reached the same place as you. I could finally see you, and be proud of myself for getting this far, my wish finally came true at last."

Even though she was smiling at me right now, I felt her sadness overwhelming me. I never realized it, the suffering that Nanoha went through. Because we never saw each other, I could never see how hard she worked, just to see me again. It was too much, I started crying, unable to stop my tears. "Fate-chan!" She embraced me, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She whispered, though I had no idea what she was apologizing for. I was the one who felt like apologizing, I had such an easy life, and yet my best friend suffered for so many years just to have even a fraction of what I had.

She held me like that for a long time, and again, it felt like I was 17 again. Now I knew for sure, I had never loved Nanoha more, than I did in this moment.

* * *

Nanoha sat quietly on her couch. She was all alone, Fate had left an hour ago. After she stopped crying, she apologized for being such a baby, and went home. Nanoha didn't mind if Fate was a baby, all that mattered to her was the fact that she finally had her best friend back.

But, "I'm such a liar..." When Nanoha described her affair with Vita, she acted as if it had ended, even though it was still continued from time to time. She felt guilty about it, not just because she was betraying Hayate even to this day, but because she was betraying herself as well.

She loved Fate. Even though she had liked Vita for a time, and even after suffering through Chrono, her feelings for the blond never left. For the past 18 years, she wanted to tell Fate her feelings, and say with confidence that she loved her. It was something that she couldn't do, because she was a coward. She just got back what she lost, she wasn't ready to lose it again. She couldn't risk it, even if her feelings haven't wavered, she couldn't be sure about Fate. For that reason alone, she would hold those feelings deep in her heart, and hold them back with all the strength she had.

_I'm sorry._ She wasn't apologizing to Fate, or to Hayate, or to Vita, or to anyone in particular. If anything, she was apologizing to herself, to the part of her that still lived in the past, and loved Fate.

_I'm sorry..._


	6. The Meddlesome Girl

_A/N: This chapter is more or less, a bit of a filler. I wanted time to plan out the rest of the story (which I have), so I made this up to sort of keep both myself and everyone entertained. Also, I haven't been sleeping that much, so that probably helped. The next chapter will be out either late tonight, or tomorrow, so don't worry. Also, After this, there will be about 7 more chapters, so it still has a bit of a way to go. Last thing, I'm also writing a Signum x Fate oneshot, which I was inspired to do after reading a very lovely doujin. Its already been written, but has to be severely edited and re-written. So look forward to that as well. That's all. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

Chapter 6:

The Meddlesome Girl

* * *

Shari began to take notice of a change in her boss on the day of Nanoha's arrival. Fate, previous to this, hardly smiled, and always looked tired and unhappy. But when Nanoha came, its like a switch was flipped, and suddenly the blond was cheerful and friendly.

Shari was a brilliant woman, who revolutionized the use of machines. She could read between the lines. Anyone with a pair of eyes could see that the two previously knew each other, and that Fate was in love with the woman. It was also apparent, that Nanoha loved her back. She figured that anyone could have seen it, even Signum, but it was probably because she was good at reading people.

Besides, she liked Fate as well, so she knew the look of a lovesick woman. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew she would probably never have the object of her affections, it was impossible for her. Still, she longed for it, even though it was just a distant dream.

_Sigh.._. Sitting in front of a machine, working on it, didn't distract her from that line of thinking. It was the thing she loved to do the most, and even that couldn't save her, which meant she was really irritated. Even though she could see that the two liked each other, she also saw a huge wall between them. That irritated her. She didn't have a chance, but Nanoha did, and wasn't taking it, it bugged her._ Maybe I'm over thinking it?_ She shook her head, pinching both her cheeks while working alone. No way. Shari, when it came to love, just as with machines, was always right. She trusted only what she could see, and what she saw, was a love that was going to waste.

"Shari, how is it going?" Signum appeared, and she adjusted her glasses.

"Just on schedule, maybe a little ahead."

"Good, keep up the hard work." She was working on their latest cancer fighting machine. With any luck, the production model would be ready in a year. However, not even that excitement could take her away from her useless thoughts.

So just as Signum was about to leave, Shari got up and stopped her. "Do you need something?"

"Its about Fate-san, and Nanoha-chan." This made the red-haired woman raise an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed, something is going on between them." This made Signum chuckle, which Shari found creepy.

"I see, I guess you would be worried about that." Her cheeks turned red, and she puffed them out in anger. "I'm kidding. However, you would have to be blind to not notice." Shari nodded.

"That's right."

"So?" Signum put a hand on her head. "What exactly do you want to do about it? Its not really any of our business."

"But..." Shari knew that her co-worker was right about that. Still, she felt like she should do something about it. Putting that aside, she just wanted to meddle with them a little, because it might be fun.

Seeing her expression, Signum knocked her lightly on the head. "Don't get any strange ideas about playing matchmaker, not after the last time."

"That was an accident, I didn't know he was like that." At one time, with Shari's badgering she managed to actually get Signum to agree to a blind date. Unfortunately, the guy was a little crazy, and the night ended with a police report and a potential assault charge for her. Since then, she's sworn off dating altogether, forever.

"Anyway, I'm warning you, you better not do anything. Its best to let things like this develop naturally."

"But that's so boring~!" Signum sighed.

"If you have time to be bored, then get back to work already." Shari whined, acting like a baby. But then, got back to work.

* * *

_Even if she tells me not to.._. Shari decided to have a little chat with Nanoha herself, to get to the bottom of things. She found the girl running off to get Fate lunch again. "Nanoha-chan!" Shari waved at her, Nanoha waved back a little confused.

"Um..." This was the first time that they met. _Ops. _

"Sorry, I've never introduced myself." Doing a little curtsey, Shari tried to act cute. "I'm Shari, and I'm the lead engineer here. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Nanoha Takamachi, nice to meet you as well." Nanoha bowed, and then raised her head with a smile. Shari felt her face flash red. Never before had she been smiled to like that, it lowered her guard._ Damn it, she's too powerful!_ "Um.. if you'll excuse me..." She bowed again, and tried to leave, but Shari grabbed her arm, though she let go right away.

"I-I'm sorry, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, is that okay?"

"Sure." Shari then smiled and prepared herself. _Alright, lets do this!_

"Nanoha-chan, the thing I wanted to tell you is..." She was sweating a little, it was a lot harder than she thought. "Well... um.." She shook her head. _Come on!_ "I-I'm in love with Fate-san!" She said it so loud, that she thought the whole office would hear it, which would suck especially if Fate heard.

Shari looked for any kind of response from Nanoha. The woman in question's eyes opened wide, and for just a moment, a strange emotion flashed in them. _Bingo!_ Nanoha's reaction was just what Shari hoped it would be. "I-I see..." Was all Nanoha could say to that.

It became incredibly awkward after that._ Come to think of it..._ Shari had little actual experience talking to people. She spent most of her time around machines, and Signum, which was almost the same thing. Realizing this, she started to panic. _Damn, what do I do now! Arrrg! Why did I say that, now she's going to think I'm an idiot or something!_

"Um.. excuse me, I have to go..." And so, Nanoha wandered off, looking back at Shari with a bit of discomfort. The glasses girl sighed, realizing that she totally blew it.

"Well, at least I got something out of it."

"And just what would that be, Shari?" A chilling voice came from behind, she didn't even bother to turn around, she didn't want to.

Right away, she was grabbed by her collar, and pulled backward. It was a good thing that she undid most of the buttons on her shirt, otherwise she might have choked, not that this wasn't bad.

"I'm sorry~!"

And so, Signum dragged Shari back to her workspace, and her meddling days came to an end.

* * *

Nanoha when out of sight of Shari, held a hand to her chest, and took in a deep breath. _I guess, its only natural that someone else would fall for Fate-chan._ Still, she didn't like it. And, Shari had been around Fate for much longer, another thing she didn't like at all, not one bit. She sighed, and shook her head. _Stupid stupid, its not like I own Fate-chan anyway._

Nanoha kept that in mind, but she still didn't like the idea of anyone else having her, not when she finally got to see her again. _Well, lets just forget about this_. She wasted enough time, not just thinking about this, but Shari as well. If she didn't hurry up, Fate was going to starve to death._ Let's go! _

Nanoha smiled, and started walking again, not wanting to keep her previous Fate-chan waiting any longer.


	7. When The Heart Finally Explodes

_A/N: This chapter is rather late, but that's because it ended up being twice as long as the others. With that said, this chapter marks the beginning of the second half of the story. This is something everyone will probably enjoy, and I'm sure I don't need to discuss it any further. So get to reading already!_

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

Chapter 7:

When The Heart Finally Explodes

* * *

Some time after Nanoha started working here, I got the feeling that everyone was watching us and saying things behind our backs. Now that I had some extra help, I was able to move about more freely, so I got a chance to see everyone work. While they didn't ignore me, they seemed to be a little careful with their words when Nanoha was around. Somehow, I had a feeling, that strange rumours had begun spreading at the office.

The first person I thought of was Shari. She was a good girl, but loved to gossip. If there was anything strange going on here, she was probably the reason for it. I decided to visit her work area at lunch. I let Nanoha handle things for a little while.

I found Shari where she always was, working on our latest devices. She loved doing this sort of thing so much, that I also got the feeling she slept here. She looked really surprised to see me, I guess because I didn't see her very often.

"Fate-san!" She smiled brightly, and stopped what she was doing. It was good to see that she had so much energy, it reminded me that I made a good choice in bringing her here. "What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping that you could tell me something. Why is everyone acting so strange around me and Nanoha?" Right away she froze up, like a deer caught in headlights. _I thought so. _I wanted to sigh, but then she would realize that I was on to her. To be frank, it was kind of fun watching her reaction.

"Hm, I wonder why... hah aha..." She looked like she might crack at any moment, she never could lie to me very well.

"Shari, you don't have anything to do with this, right?" I did my best to sound extra cute and innocent, just for added effect. She looked so guilty, and yet she didn't give herself up just yet. I was going to give her just one more chance to fess up on her own, and I know that she will. "I see. Okay, I'll go ask Signum then."

"No, wait!" Shari's outburst was just what I expected from her. She and Signum may be friends, but my loyal employee would give her up in a second if I asked.

"Shari, do you have something you want to tell me?" I smiled, and then she realized it.

"You knew all along. You're so mean~!" I sighed and patted her on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself, not when you looked so guilty."

" Boo~ Boo~" She whinnied, and then resigned herself. "Sorry. I might have _accidentally_, and I mean accidentally, made everyone believe that you were caught in a love triangle." Of all the weird things I was ready to hear, that was the one I hadn't thought of.

"And just how did this happen, Shari?" She blushed heavily, her whole face was red.

"Well... That's..." She put a finger to her head and tried to think while I waited. "You see.. I kind of, told Nanoha that I was in love with you..."

" Huh!" _She did what!_

"Just what were you trying to do by saying that to her?" Shari's face resumed most of its normal color, and she stopped looking like everything was a joke, I almost forgot that she could get serious too.

" I wanted to see how she would react if I told her that. Everyone knows that you like her, so I wanted to know how she felt." And now it was my turn to blush. _Its that obvious that I still love Nanoha? If everyone here noticed, then Nanoha..._

"Your thoughts at all over your face, Fate-san." Shari was looking me dead in the eyes, she no longer smiled. "Don't worry, for some reason, she's just as dense as you, and hasn't noticed it yet." I let out a sigh of relief, but I still had a bigger problem at hand. The fact that Shari told Nanoha that she liked me, was indeed a problem, and I had to clear it up right now.

"Shari, I'm sorry, but I can't accept your feelings."

"I already knew that much, Fate-san." She yawned, and then pinched her cheeks. "Don't be so serious, its just a silly crush on my end. As for you, anyone can see, that you really love her." I started to wonder, if Shari knew about my past, even though I never mentioned it to anyone but Signum, and I doubted that she would say anything.

"Shari-"

"I'm sorry, but I should get back to work." She looked at me, telling me that this conversion was over and done with. She was a good girl, and even if she thought her feelings were silly, I saw now that she was just being mindful of mine. I patted her on the head, like a child and smiled.

"Thanks, keep up the good work. If it wasn't for you, then this place wouldn't be as great as it is right now." I left her, wanting to have as high a note as possible, and to let her know that even if I didn't have feelings for her, I still saw her as an important person.

I left Shari alone, and went back to my office, where Nanoha was waiting.

* * *

Shari smiled bitterly as Fate left, wiping away a few of the tears that came to her eyes. She wanted to tell Fate the results of her experiment, that Nanoha seemed to exhibit some kind of panic at her confession, but she kept it to herself.

Signum was right, they had to do this on their own. That's why, Shari decided to support them as much as she could in her heart.

"Good luck, Fate-san."

* * *

When I got back to the office, Nanoha handed me something, a white letter. "What's thing?"

"I don't know, but it just came." There was something written on it, in golden letters. I managed to figure out what it was without opening it, I tossed it aside.

"Shall we get back to work?" Nanoha gave me a look, I sighed. "Its nothing, just an invitation to a party."

"You aren't going to go?" I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Nanoha listen to me. Its nothing but a boring event for pretentious jerks to stroke their own egos. They only want me to come so they can brag about it." Not since the first time, have I ever gone to one of those events, not after I saw what it was all about. "Now, lets get back to work." She nodded, I sat down beside her and started looking at boring paperwork again.

"You know, Fate-chan, it seems to me, that you don't really like being rich." I stopped.

"I really hate it. All I wanted to do was help people, not become a celebrity. That's why I donate a lot of the money I get from work, I don't really need it." That was only a part of it though. The real reason I didn't like being rich, was that it became almost impossible to make friends with normal people. It was lonely.

"Fate-chan." I must have looked sad, or maybe it was something else. She touched my cheek suddenly, brushing her fingers against me. Of course, she didn't realize it at first, so when she did, she pulled back immediately. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Old habits and all that, nyahahaha." Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, but she was smiling happily. My heart warmed up, and I had an idea.

"Nanoha."

"Yes?"

"Its not a fancy party, but would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" Her red cheeks, got even redder.

"Oh I don't know. I can't ask Vita to watch Vivio for that long, I depend on her too much already." I knew that would be the answer, but I finally got the courage to do this, so I wouldn't take no for an answer.

"What if Shari and Signum watch her? I'm aware that you don't know much about them, but I trust the two of them more than anyone else." Nanoha mulled over it, I saw that she was really thinking hard. _Maybe its too soon?_ I didn't want to rush our relationship, especially not with her. She smiled, which told me I had nothing to worry about.

"Okay. If you trust them, then I'll trust you."

"Really!" My face became filled with joy when she nodded, it was hard to contain my happiness. Finally, after nearly 20 years apart, I was going on a date with Nanoha.

* * *

Around 9:00, I went to pick up Nanoha, I let her off early so that she could prepare. I took Shari and Signum with me, though they didn't really like the idea of babysitting. I told them this was important to me, that was enough to convince them to do it. When we pulled up, Nanoha was waiting for me, Vivio stood beside her, standing shyly behind her mother.

When we all got out the car, Nanoha nudged Vivio forward. "Come on sweetie, introduce yourself to Fate-chan's friends." The small girl bowed.

"I-I'm Vivio Takamachi, nice to meet you." She was a really cute thing, and was a lot like her mother in many ways.

After Shari and Signum introduced themselves, Nanoha told them everything they would need to know, and to call if things got out of hand. I opened the car door for Nanoha, and waved to my friends as we got in and drove off.

I was too embarrassed to say it in front of them, but when the two of us were alone, I gave Nanoha quick glance. "You look really beautiful, Nanoha." She was wearing a dark blue dress, and it really suited her. She blushed, looking very embarrassed.

"You too, you look wonderful, Fate-chan."

"Thank you." We didn't really talk after that, but the silence wasn't bad either.

The restaurant that I brought her to was very well know in the city, and you usually had to make reservations months in advance. But, me being who I was, I was able to just go there, and a table would open up for me. When we entered, Nanoha looked so amazed, I thought she'd pass out from the excitement.

"I haven't seen you like this since high school."

"Nyahaha, well I don't exactly go to these kinds of places often."

I took my excited friend to our table, where a waiter was waiting for us.

"Good evening, Testarossa-sama." He pulled bowed politely, and pulled our chairs out for us. Nanoha looked like she was on cloud 9, I was just glad to see her so happy. After everything she's been through, she deserved this, and so much more.

Of course, as soon as she laid eyes on the menu, her heart sank. "F-Fate-chan..."

"Its okay Nanoha, this is my treat, so eat as much as you want."

"But..." I sighed, I knew it would be hard for her to accept this.

"Think of it this way: As a reward for all your hard work, you can look at it like a bonus." She gave up, smiling in return.

"Fine, you win."

"I'm happy to hear that. Now, what shall we have?"

In the end, Nanoha ordered the cheapest thing on the menu that still appealed to her, I decided not to say anything and just let her be. It was like this a lot during high school, especially when we went out on dates.

The food came really fast, I guess that was because it was me. Having such a high-profile guest come to your restaurant, it would make people work harder. Nanoha was quiet, and constantly looked at me while I ate. It was a little embarrassing, and distracting, it also gave me chills as well.

"What is it, Nanoha?" Her face looked so calm, and her eyes sparkled.

"Don't you hear it, Fate-chan?." Now that she'd mentioned it, the song playing in the restaurant, was sounded very similar to the one that played the moment we first kissed. I hadn't noticed because I was too busy thinking about her, but now I heard it clearly, a beautiful melody. I wondered why such a song was playing here of all places, of all times. But it didn't matter very much, I was just happy to listen to it.

"I'm surprised you remember."

"How could I forget, it was an important memory to me after all." Her eyes became deep with nostalgia, it looked like I could become swallowed in those memories as well, though I would probably just be swallowed by her eyes if I stared any longer. I averted my gaze from her, and looked at the table instead. "Sorry, I didn't mean to drag that up."

"Its fine, just a little..." _Painful_. Even though I understood the reason why Nanoha broke up with me, I still wished that it never happened. At that time, I should have grabbed her hand, ran away, and taken her with me. I just left and let her go instead, and paid the price for it; nearly two decades of loneliness.

My heart was crying out, it screamed in pain. It threatened to erupt, like a volcano. But I couldn't let it, I couldn't let those old feelings get in the way of what was right in front of me. _It was a long time ago, she couldn't possibly still feel the same way._ I was the one who still loved her, and those feelings were now threatening my peace of mind.

"Fate-chan?" Nanoha came in close, with napkin and started wiping at my eyes. "What's wrong?" It seemed that I had started crying, and yet I never noticed. I pushed her back, not letting her get too close to me.

"Sorry, I guess I just got caught up in some old memories, that's all." I wiped at my own eyes and did my best to stop, Nanoha just looked at me with a sad expression.

"Its my fault, right?."

"That's not it, its nothing." By now, I managed to clear my head, though I no longer felt like eating anymore. "Nanoha, lets get out of this place, okay?" She still looked kind of depressed, but I smiled and she managed to form a weak one.

"Okay." I paid the bill for everything, and then the two of us left the restaurant quietly.

* * *

The two of us walked silently, since the incident, we haven't said a word to each other. It was starting to get really awkward, but I had no idea what to say. _Come on you idiot, this is all your fault, say something._ But the only thing I wanted to do was apologize for ruining the night. I decided that was good, so I opened my mouth to say something.

Nanoha grabbed my hand, and stopped all my words cold. I even jumped a little, and she let go. "I'm sorry, did I startle you? Whenever we were down, even before we dated, the two of us held hands, and somehow it always made us feel better." I was constantly being surprised by her, it seemed like she remembered every single thing about our lives; I only recalled the really important parts. "I'm sorry, Fate-chan..." Her expression only got worse. I felt like such an idiot.

I took her hand, just like I used to do when we were kids. Again, it felt like I was in high school again, back in those peaceful days that I loved so much. I squeezed her hand for added measure, and she looked at me, surprised. And then, she giggled, like a teenager.

"Thanks. I forgot how warm and soft your hand was."

"Me too, it feels nice." The mood finally improved, and we continued walking just like this.

Eventually we came to a river, one that we used to go to a lot when we were children. I came here on purpose, because this is also a special place. We may have had our first kiss in Nanoha's room; but this is the place that we confessed our love to each other. On a night just like this, with the stars spreading out in front of us. Nanoha remembered this too, because her eyes lit up.

"This place holds a lot of memories for us, doesn't it, Fate-chan?"

"Yeah, it almost feels like it was yesterday that we were playing here as children."

"Hehe, I know what you mean. We made a lot of good memories here."

Nanoha's hand pulsed with warmth here, it felt even hotter than before. I forgot what it was like to feel this heat, to have it burn my heart up like it was right now. _Calm down, calm down._ I didn't want to say anything weird, so I had to calm my beating heart down as soon as possible.

"Fate-chan." She pulled away from me, and walked a little in front of me, heading closer to the river. And when she turned around, her eyes shined with tears, and sadness again. "I'm glad you brought me back here, it made me realize something important."

"Nanoha?" She smiled, though it was weird considering the fact she was crying.

"Wanting to become stronger, so that I wouldn't rely on you anymore. Wanting you to be successful, so that you wouldn't be held back by me. Saying goodbye, even though it was painful. Those reasons, I've come to hate them. Breaking up with you, is one of the biggest regrets of my life, and now that I've finally seen you again, I realize that." She turned away from me again, even though I wanted nothing more than to see her face right now.

"Nanoha, what are you trying to say?" I was a mess inside. This feeling, this situation, this atmosphere, it all felt so familiar. But I didn't want to get my hopes up, because it would be too painful to have them shattered. Still, I wanted this to be the thing I was hoping for.

"Fate-chan." She took in a deep breath, and then once again faced me. She no longer looked sad, but determined and resolved instead. "I love you. Even after all this time, I still love you. Even if its too late now, I can't hold back these feelings anymore. I never stopped loving you, not for a single day, I've always loved you, Fate-chan."

The words she said didn't register at first in my mind. I thought I misheard her, or that maybe I was imagining it. This was reality, she really told me that she still loved me, that she still felt the same way. When it finally dawned on me, the heat in my body rose a thousand degrees, and my heart exploded.

"Nanoha..." I took a step toward her, and another. I took one shaky step after another toward her. The words I wanted to say, I couldn't say them, because I was so overwhelmed by emotion. Instead, I did my by to convey the feeling, by dashing forward, and embracing her as tightly as I could. "Nanoha!" I pulled her in so close that I thought we would become one, I even though that I might crush her to death.

"Fate..chan..." I heard her voice crack, and she started sobbing. "This is really happening, right? I'm not...dreaming anymore, right?" I shook my head and took her even closer than I thought possible.

"I love you too, Nanoha." She pushed us apart, and took hold of my face in her hands.

"I want you to look me in the eyes and say it, I want to look into your heart when you do, I don't want this to be a lie." I smiled and nodded.

"I love you, I love you so much, Nanoha." And then, like the old days, our feelings overcame us, and it became impossible to stay separated. The two of us kissed, we kissed each other as if it a thousand years had passed since the last one. In a way, that was true, it certainly felt like a thousand years, since we last kissed. And now that we were kissing, now that I was holding her, I never planned on letting go.

* * *

"You're late!" Shari scolded us as soon as we walked in the door. Her glasses were a little bent, and her hair was messy.

"Are you alright, Shari?" She sighed, as if it was her last breath. Walked into the living room, and came back tugging Signum along, who was in just as bad shape.

"The princess felt like playing magical girl, and guess who the monsters were." Vivio appeared in the hall behind them, with a huge grin on her face, it looked like she had a nice time as well.

"Mama!" She ran forward and hugged Nanoha, who couldn't hug her back, because we were still holding hands.

"I'm sorry about her." Shari looked like she was going to respond, but spotted our hands, and put on a sly smile instead.

"Oh, its fine, its fine. But just give us a little more warning before asking us to babysit again. That aside, it looked like something good happened, isn't that right, Fate-san~?" I followed her eyes, and the my face flushed. Signum seemed just as interested, which disturbed me, I didn't like it when she smiled in that way.

I looked at Nanoha, who looked at me, embarrassed. _Help me, tell them something._ I tried communicating with our eyes, but I forgot how idiotic that was. Though, Nanoha seemed to see I was desperate, and laughed it all off.

"Anyway, you guys look tired, we'll take it from here." That was good, all we needed to do was push them out as soon as possible. _Nice, Nanoha!_ Shari snickered, and patted Signum on the back.

"Come on, lets give the two lovebirds some privacy." She bent down and patted Vivio on the head. "See ya, Kid. Lets play again sometime."

"Okay!" Vivio hugged her, which made her cheeks burn, but she got used to it and just pushed the child away.

"Signum."

"Right. See you at work, try not to stay up late." Before I could get the two of them, they ran away and shut the door. When they were gone, Vivio hugged Nanoha again. She yawned, doing her best to stay awake.

"Fate-chan, make yourself at home while I put this little one to bed." I nodded and rested myself on her couch, sighing. I felt so exhausted, but I couldn't contain my smile. I was happy, happier than I've been in a long time, and I planned on doing things right and staying happy.

Nanoha joined me a few minutes later, leaned up against me, placing her head on my shoulder. "I love you, Fate-chan. I'll say it as many times as I have to, so don't go anywhere again." I ran my hand through her hair.

"The only place I want to be is by your side, so don't worry." We kissed again, it was gentle and simple. Neither of us had the energy to continue any further than that. We were both tired. Eventually, we closed our eyes. Within minutes, still in that position, the two of us fell asleep.


	8. Fluffy Distractions At The Office

_A/N: This chapter marks the beginning of the end, so to speak. Its mostly fluffy and comedic, though I'm sure everyone will WTF at the end. Anyway, as I draw closer and closer to the end of this story, I have come to realize that my imagination is quite sly. When I get through the next couple chapters, and then unto the final one, you'll see what I mean. Anyway, I'll end this with a good announcement regarding this story. Hayate will finally be making her appearance soon. Don't worry, she's quite smart, and luckily isn't the jealous type. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

Chapter 8:

Fluffy Distractions At The Office

* * *

Ever since Nanoha and I got back together, things at work have gotten a little slow. We still fulfilled our duties, it just took a little longer. I only had myself to blame, I should have foreseen this problem when I accepted Nanoha's love. But, she was just too much for me to resist, and I guess she felt the same way.

That would probably be why the two of us were pressed together, half naked, and panting heavily, like we'd just run a marathon.

It was lunch. Usually, we would eat, or she would, and I would drink excessive amounts of coffee. Instead, we were making out like it was the last time we would see each other, and it was getting more intense by the second. I couldn't help it, she was just so sexy.

"F-Fate-chan, we should stop, before someone hears us." That was easy for her to say, even though she was feeling me up right now. In response, I nibbled on her ear, she cried out in ecstasy, maybe a little too loud. "Fate-chan!" She pushed me away, though her hand was still cupped around my breast.

"Sorry, Nanoha." Her face was flushed, that was becoming a common appearance for her.

"Its alright, but we should tone it down a little. The whole office probably heard us." That should have been a problem, but somehow, it was kind of turning me on, I had no idea I was such a pervert. Nanoha noticed it, the gleam in my eyes while I was thinking up such a fantasy. "No, bad Fate-chan." She was talking to me as if I was a child again.

"Yeah yeah..." I kissed her quickly though, before she had time to stop me; not that she wanted to, since she she was practically trying to crush me with a hug.

A knock at the door finally separated us, I almost fell from the sudden surprise. "W-Who is it." My voice was shaking so much, and I really hoped I remembered to lock that door.

"Its only me." Signum sighed from outside the door. "I have come to remind you in case you have forgotten. You have a meeting with the Prime Minister in about half an hour." The color drained from my face, I totally forgot.

"Thank you, Signum, I'll be right out."

"Take your time." I heard a playful and teasing tone in her voice, but she disappeared before I could get pissed.

I looked at Nanoha, who looked at me. "We really should get dressed." She said, though made no motion to get away from me. I carefully weighed my options. _Screw it._

"Five more minutes." And I pinned Nanoha up against my desk for the millionth time today.

* * *

When the two of us emerged, 15 minutes later, our faces looked like they'd been dipped in red dye. Nanoha also fixed my shirt, which was a little messy. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at us. Even Shari found the time to come around and grin at us like the damn Cheshire Cat.

Signum came up to us, looking very impatient. "The car is waiting outside, we must hurry."

"Lead the way." The three of us left the office in a hurry, even though all I wanted to do was just sit here and fool around some more with Nanoha.

The PM met us at a restaurant nearby. This was probably the 6th time I've met him and we shook hands like always. I introduced him to Nanoha, and we got to business. It was time again for me to talk about getting approval for the actual distribution of my new machines, after they were completed of course.

It was boring as hell. I knew, Signum knew, everyone here knew that he was going to approve it. There was no need for this boring formality. In the first place, I didn't even really like him. But since I needed him, I had to bare it, and do this silly dance.

I also was thinking about Nanoha, who was playing with my foot under the table. It felt nice, and it was just the distraction I needed, though I still retained enough of my common sense to nod when the PM said something. It was a bit of an uncomfortable situation. If she didn't stop doing that, I was going to jump her bones right here, in front of the person who was currently running the country. I heard Signum sigh under her breath, she knew what we were up to, and obviously didn't approve. Out of respect for her, I pushed Nanoha's foot away, a clear warning that this wasn't the best time. Of course, when we were alone again, I was going to ravage her like a wild beast.

* * *

"You two are unbelievable." After the meeting, Signum was driving us back to the office. "You were acting like bumbling high school girls, and in front of the Prime Minister no less."

"No one cares about that old coot anyway, he was just there to make himself look good." Signum knew how I felt about this man, and about politics in general, so she dropped it.

"Still, I wish you would behave appropriately." Nanoha remained silent, though her face suggested that it was all going in one ear and out the other.

Not much else was said during the trip back, and not even when we got inside. Actually, when we did get back in there, I found that everyone was gathered around, with Shari leading them from the middle.

"What's going on here, why is no one working?" Shari took some steps forward toward me, and the placed her hand on my shoulder, while Signum did likewise with Nanoha.

"Fate-san, I don't no any other way to tell you this. I'm afraid, this is an intervention." Suddenly, I felt the urge to leave, though Shari had a pretty good grip on me.

"What is the meaning of this?" Instead of an answer, the two of us were pushed forward, and surrounded by all out friends and co-workers. Shari again took charge of things, she looked like she was enjoying the situation.

"Fate-san, Nanoha-chan, to say it bluntly; the two of you need to stop having sex at the office." Our faces burned, at the very same time. "Lately you've been taking longer to get your work done, and there are also sounds..." She paused for a moment to calm herself, her own face was quite red as well. "To say the least, its distracting." Nanoha and I looked at each other, confirming with our eyes, that maybe, we did go a little two far.

"I understand, but is this really necessary?" Shari giggled, and I knew whatever came out of her mouth next wouldn't be very good.

"Not really, I've just been watching a lot of western TV again." I sighed, it was a deep, exhausted sigh.

Besides confirming my feelings for Nanoha, and going on that date almost a week ago, this was the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me.

In the end, everyone took turns hugging us, telling us that it was okay and not to give up. It was ridiculous, its not like were some sex-crazed animals or something. And after that was settled, everyone got back to work, but took extra care when watching us go back to my personal space. Signum also mentioned to me, to keep the door unlocked, so that we wouldn't be tempted to do anything.

After going into my office, I closed the door, and locked it, despite Signum's warning.

"This whole place is out of its mind." I undid the color of my shirt and fanned myself while sitting on my desk, rather than in a chair. Nanoha came in close to me, and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Yes, it is. You hired them though, so you must be out of your mind as well, Fate-chan."

"I guess, but you love the crazy me, don't you?" She answered me with a furious and deep kiss.

We didn't go too far, because I didn't want to disappoint everyone so soon. We just kissed, and that was nice as well.

* * *

After work, we went back to Nanoha's house. We had dinner, and we played with Vivio together. It was weird, it felt almost like this was already my family, even though we've only been together for a week. Vivio was a sweet girl too, she was so cute that I wanted to hug her to death.

My heart felt warm, everything was just as it should have been. It was just the way I imagined it would be. The only thing missing from the perfect fantasy that I concocted as a teenager, was the fact that we weren't married, and this wasn't officially my family. Its not like we could get married anyway, since this was Japan. Still, I longed for it.

Maybe it would be a mistake, but I considered telling Nanoha that I did actually want to get married. There was no one else for me, she was the only one I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. I knew she felt the same way. I resolved with myself, someday, I would tell her. Until then, I just wanted to envelop her with all my love, and give her everything my heart could give. And I did just that tonight, many times, after Vivio went to bed of course.

* * *

From the shadows, outside of the apartment complex where Nanoha lived, a man stood. He looked at the expensive car parked outside, and then looked up. A smile crossed his face.

"Its almost time." He laughed to himself and walked away from the building, heading to his car, which was parked around the corner.

Little did Nanoha or Fate know, this man had been watching them. He'd been watching Fate for at least two months, and when Nanoha entered the picture, he started following them around. He was a scrawny man, he looked like the type that got beat up a lot in high school. He also wore a pair greasy and broken glasses, which he adjusted as he started his car.

As he drove off into the night, he mused to himself, about what would happen in just a few days time. The big score, which would get all those debt collectors off his back. He finally would have the life he deserved, or so he thought.

The scrawny man, who looked a lot like a ferret, laughed again to him. Under the pale moon, he disappeared into the night.


	9. The Moment of Paralyzing Terror

_A/N: Sorry about this delay. I took a day off, and then struggled with a nasty hangover yesterday, but I'm fine now. Anyway this is somewhat of a turning point in the story, the beginning of the end. Its kind of sad, because I really like this story. When I'm done, I'm not sure what I'll do next, but it will probably be a sequel, which will revolve around Shari and Signum (yeah, wrap your head around that). Don't want to give too much away, so I'll leave the reading to you guys. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

Chapter 9:

The Moment of Paralyzing Terror

* * *

The relationship I had with Nanoha was a a rough one. We went from best friends, to girlfriends, to strangers, and back to girlfriends again. It was a struggled that lasted a lifetime, but I couldn't be happier with the result of those struggles. Now that our lives were in order, there was nothing else that could get in our way anymore, we were going to be together forever. That's how I felt, and I intended for those feelings to never leave me.

It was hard to keep my hands off her. At any given moment during the day, I wanted to hold onto her. But at the request of my workers, we decided to save those things for bedtime. That was fine, the wait would only make it better anyway; it was still hard though.

We were getting behind on our work, it was my fault, because I kept getting distracted. Just because I couldn't touch Nanoha, doesn't mean I couldn't think about her all the time.

"Fate-chan." Nanoha's voice was stern, she was trying to get me back on track.

"I know, its just hard." I sighed and tried my best to do what I needed to do. It was hard, so very hard. I endured it, I didn't want to be scolded by Nanoha. The day just sort of continued like that, boring, dull, and full of passion that could explode at any minute.

* * *

Nanoha was having Fate over again. For the past three days in a row, the blond has come to keep her company at night. It felt like they were married, they acted the part at least. Those kinds of thoughts made Nanoha very happy, as she had fantasized about marrying her girlfriend since they were just teenagers.

But it was impossible. This was Japan, which was still a bit behind when it came to same-sex relationships. No matter how much money and power Fate had, she couldn't change this fact. That was okay with Nanoha. They didn't need to be married to show that they loved each other, all they had to do was what they were already doing. At some point though, she was hoping that they could live together, and raise Vivio as a team, since that girl was always lacking in the parent department. Speaking of Vivio, Nanoha was gleeful when the small girl accidentally called Fate "Fate-mama." It must have been because she was around so much, but it was a cute mistake that wasn't minded one bit. Nanoha even decided to tease Fate about that when they were alone together in bed.

"Vivio has really taken a liking to you, right _Fate-mama_?" Fate's cheeks even turned bright red.

"Geez Nanoha, that isn't funny."

"Maybe not, but your reaction certainly was." Nanoha poked her in the side playfully.

"That's enough of that." Fate then took hold of her. The two of them started to wrestle, but it soon turned into something completely different; a contest, where they could both be winners.

* * *

I felt like someone was following us. On the way to the office today, I felt like someone's eyes were on us, me specifically. I initially brushed off that feeling as something silly, but then I saw the car following us. It was an old car. Every turn I took, this person took the very same turn, and always kept themselves at a small distance from me, just enough so I couldn't see who was inside. Maybe I was going crazy, but there was no way that this person just happened to be taking the same route as me.

Luckily, when I got to the office, they kept going. However, they slowed down a little as they passed us, and I got a look at the person's face. It was a very shabby looking man. He was wearing sunglasses, so I had no idea if he was looking at me, but I felt his gaze on me, like he was watching from the corner of his eye. I shuddered, and thankfully Nanoha didn't notice. When he was gone, I was able to just put it in the back of my mind.

Even if he was watching me, it wouldn't be the first time someone has done so. When you became as successful as I was, it was natural to get a few stalkers and weirdos. Still, something about him unnerved me. He seemed kind of dangerous, at least my gut was telling me that. But he was gone now, so I did my best to forget about it.

* * *

That night, Nanoha volunteered to stay late. There was still a lot of work to be done. I didn't want to stay up all night and do it, and it would be a pain to leave it until morning, so Nanoha took the bullet. I didn't like it, I didn't want her to be the only one to work hard.

"I'll stay here and do it with you."

"Its fine. I can't make Vita stay with Vivio for too long, but I'm sure you wont mind babysitting for a while, right?. Either way, this work has to get done, and someone has to do it." She kissed me, using her most powerful weapon.

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes, Fate-chan, I'm sure." When Nanoha decided on something, you couldn't change her mind, that's just the way she was. I wouldn't win, I knew that, and she knew that.

"Okay, you win. But please don't stay too long, I wouldn't want Vivio to miss her mother."

"That wont be a problem. Goodnight Fate-mama." She kissed me again, silencing me before I could say anything. I hugged her and promised to tuck in Vivio before she got home. I left here with a smile and a wave, and she furiously got back to work.

* * *

It was 1 AM by the time Nanoha was finished. Everything was dark. Everyone had already gone home, so she was the only person remaining. She stretched her arms and breathed with relief. _I wonder if Fate-chan is still awake._ She hoped so, she could use some late night exercise. _Well, time to go home._ Nanoha rose from her seat and left the office, making sure to lock up.

There was hardly anyone on the streets, and few cars drove by. It was late, if there was anyone still up, they were either still working, or they were up to some funny business. Nanoha didn't own a car since she couldn't afford it, so she was going to have to call a taxi.

She took out her cell phone and made the call. A taxi would be there in maybe ten minutes at most. She should have called Fate and asked for a ride, but she didn't want to bother her with something this small. It would also be better to have someone at her home anyway, just in case.

After 5 minutes, she started to feel cold, even with the heavy coat she was wearing. The streets had become even more barren than before, and it was a bit worrying. Japan was a safe country, and this was a safe city, but that doesn't mean things didn't happen, especially at night, when you were all alone.

Nanoha had no idea that her ominous thoughts, would soon become reality. Right at that moment, when no one was watching, someone was emerging out of the alley to her side, and sneaking up behind her.

The man who had been watching her for days, extended his hands out to her. Before Nanoha noticed anything, or had any time to react, his had was already worming around her mouth.

* * *

I tapped my foot, looking between Vivio's room and the front door. I knew Nanoha was going to be late, but it was getting close to 1:30 in the morning. Something was holding her up, and it was really worrying me.

My phone rang suddenly, and I grasped for it as quickly as I could. Nanoha was calling me, I let out a sigh of relief as I answered.

"Nanoha, what's wrong? Are you going to be home soon?" There was no real answer, just some breathing. "Nanoha?"

"I'm sorry, but she can't come to the phone right now, would you like to leave a message?" A man's voice came from my phone, a wave of panic instantly surged through me.

"Who the hell are you!" What have you done with Nanoha?" The man chuckled.

"She's safe and sound, don't you worry." How could he tell me not to worry? Whoever this guy was, I was going to strangle him.

"What do you want?" I didn't try to hide my hostility, nor did I try to remain calm. That was bad, because Vivio started stirring. I took in a deep breath, and tried my best to keep my emotions in check. In the inside, I was a nervous wreck. "What do you want with me?" I asked, a little softer this time.

"I don't want very much, just 250,000,000 yen, in cash." That was an outrageous sum of money, but it was nothing to me. If it was Nanoha's safety that was on the line, I would give him anything he wanted.

"Fine, you can have whatever you want, just don't hurt her."

"I'm glad that you understand your position. Bring the money to your office in an hour. If you tell anyone about this, or the cops, I might have to do something drastic."

"Okay, I understand." This was dangerous. He wanted me to bring that much money to him, and not tell anyone. When I got there, he could do anything to me, he might even kill the two of us. I didn't trust him at all, but I had no choice, I was going to have to play his game. However, that doesn't mean I wouldn't make up a few rules. "You better not lay a finger on her, if you do, you'll regret it."

"How scary! Don't worry, I'm a man of my word. Remember, one hour, tick tock." He hung up. Right away I went into Vivio's room.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back with mommy." I kissed her on the forehead and left the room, closing the door. I stormed out of Nanoha's house, racing down the apartment complex as fast as I could. I was scared, but I was also really pissed off. If he did anything to my Nanoha, I was going to make him regret it for the rest of his life, which wouldn't be very long if I got my hands on him.

* * *

When I got back to my home, I ran into my room and tore one of my many paintings off the wall. There was a safe behind it, it was cliched, but I didn't care about that right now. There was at least a billion yen in that safe, so taking some of it wouldn't mean much.

I took a large duffel bag, and stuffed as much money as I could into it. I didn't care if I came up short, or added too much, he wouldn't know until he counted anyway. As long as he kept his word and left Nanoha alone, I didn't care how much he took from me.

After filling the bag to its limit, I walked over to the desk that was beside my bed. I opened the bottom drawer. A small, black handgun rested on top of some papers. It was difficult to obtain a gun in Japan, at least for normal people, but for me, nothing was off limits. I didn't like guns, I hated them, but I always kept it, just in case. I made sure that the safety was on before I put it in my pocket. Everything was ready, and it was time to go. I took in a deep breath. _This is for Nanoha..._ I grabbed the now heavy bag, and lugged it out of my home and into my car. I drove my car as fast as I could without drawing suspicion, and prayed that Nanoha was still alright. _I'm on my way, Nanoha, so don't worry._

* * *

The front doors of the office were locked, and I left my key with Nanoha. It was likely that the back entrance would be open, and it was. I slipped inside that way. As I hauled the bag around, I thought about some things. Even though all of the money was locked away underneath this building, and all of our expensive equipment was protected by heavy metal doors, it couldn't hurt to hire some guards. I thought no one would dare even try to rob us, that it was impossible, and I got arrogant; now Nanoha was paying the price. When this was over, I would do everything I could to make sure that it would be the last time. That is, if I got out of this.

The man was waiting for me outside my office. I recognized him right away as the creepy guy that was following us this morning. _I should have known..._ I walked toward him, step by step, but froze before getting too close. He was holding one of Nanoha's arms behind her back, he also had a knife pressed against her throat. I didn't want to risk it. "Leave the money right there, and back away." Instead of just dropping the bag, I swung it back to get momentum, and then tossed it forward. For just a few moments, that hindered his vision. Using the few seconds of this distraction, I reached into my pocket and withdrew the gun, pointing it right at his face. He was surprised when he saw it, but didn't seem worried.

"You're a smart girl. However, I still have your little friend, so I wouldn't try anything." Nanoha looked at me wide-eyed, and it seemed like she wanted to say something. She refused to talk, so I figured that he was threatening her into silence. _Don't worry, it will be over soon._ I kept my eyes on the man, refusing to lower my cold and deadly glare. "Put the gun down, or I might do something."

"I refuse. This is insurance, to make sure that you keep your word. If you hurt her in any way, it will be the last thing you do." He grinned at me, he was starting to piss me off even more.

"Are you sure you'll be able to hit me from this far? Do you even know how to use a gun?" If he thought he could intimidate me, he was kidding himself.

"Would you like to find out?" We had a standoff that lasted for a good minute. He seemed to be carefully weighing his options.

"You aren't the type to back down, it seems. I would expect nothing less from the woman who ruined my life." I had no idea what he was talking about, I didn't care, I just kept my eye on him. "Your research and inventions changed the world. Thanks to you, people are getting healthier, living longer. You might think its a good thing, but for people like me, whose businesses thrive off the sickness of others, its a death sentence." I didn't need to be a genius to understand what he was saying.

I should have known, just from his looks, he wasn't full Japanese. I knew exactly where he was from, as there was only one place where helping the sick would do the most economic harm. "You must be from America. I heard there's been quite a few closures down there when it comes to insurance companies." It wasn't just insurance companies that were hurt. I had found ways to produce the most useful medicines for next to nothing, the pharmaceutical companies probably hated my guts.

The man realized that I was on to him. "That's right, this is revenge. I was living the high life, until you stole that away from me. Now all I'm left with his debts, and despair." I saw it all now.

I wasn't going to forgive him. For a petty reason like this, he kidnapped Nanoha and used her as bait to rob me, I would never forgive such a thing. My hand was shaking, I was tempted to pull the trigger, even though the safety was on and it would be impossible to fire. _Calm down, calm down._ I couldn't afford to make a mistake, not with Nanoha's life on the line. I had to end this, right now.

"There's your money, let go of Nanoha. Take it and get out of my sight." He didn't move.

"Do you think I'm an idiot? The second I let go of her, you'll pull the trigger, isn't that right?"

"I wont. As long as she's safe, then nothing else matters to me, especially not some pocket change." The man once again weighed on his options. This couldn't continue forever. In just a few hours, the sun would rise and my employees would flood in here. If he stayed any longer, then he would only be risking capture.

"Whatever, I got what I wanted anyway." He took Nanoha with him as he cautiously approached. He released her arm, but kept the knife pointed at her back.

"Don't make a sound, or any sudden movements." She nodded and he grabbed the bag. Slowly, he took her past me and headed for the exit, I kept the gun trained on him the whole time. Once he got to the door, he dropped the knife and ran off with the money. The second that the knife hit the floor, I lowered the gun, and Nanoha came rushing to me.

"Fate-chan!" She tackled me and we fell to the floor, I held onto her tightly. "I was so scared!"

'There there, Nanoha..." The gun felt heavy in my hand, I dropped it and used all my strength to crush Nanoha against me.

This all happened because of me, it was all my fault. I let Nanoha stay behind alone at the office, even though it was stupid, and this happened. I was scared, I was shaking because I feared this happening again. He could come back, and do something worse next time, or it could be someone else who tries it. I wouldn't always be this lucky, there was no way I could protect Nanoha like this. _I have to..._ I made a decision. If I was going to protect Nanoha, it had to be done.

"Fate-chan." Nanoha was looking at me with eyes that shined, she had been crying. If I was going to do this, it had to be now, while I still had my nerve.

"Nanoha, you're fired." She probably wasn't expecting that from me, her surprise was understandable.

"W-Why! I'm sorry, its because of this right? I'm sorry." I placed my finger to her lips and quieted her.

"Don't worry, you aren't the one at fault. I want to protect you, so I'm going to make sure that you never get put in this situation again." Nanoha's tears resurfaced.

"What about Vivio? I have to provide for her, I need this job." I understood that, I understood that she worked hard her whole life just to be here. But my decision was final. Besides, its not like I'm a monster or something, I had something in mind.

"Nanoha, I want you and Vivio to live with me."

"But-" I stopped her again.

"I wont take no for an answer. I love you, so I want to be with you always. Besides, you should spend more time with Vivio, she's lonely with you gone." I knew this, because while she slept, Vivio was constantly muttering her mother's name. This would be what's best. "Please Nanoha, move in with me."

The anger and the surprise that was on her face a moment ago disappeared. It looked like she understood. "Okay. I want to be with you as well, and you know I'd do anything. If this is what you want, then okay." I kissed her and she kissed me back. "You didn't have to fire me, but you're right, I should spend more time with Vivio." She smiled, and I smiled back.

"I'm tired, lets go."

"Yeah." We couldn't keep Vivio waiting any longer. She was sleeping, but I was still worried about her. We held hands and left as quickly as we could, doing our best to forget this horrible night.

* * *

It was very late, and Nanoha was sleeping now. It was a long night, she needed some rest. While she was in bed, I was sitting on her couch, with my cell phone in hand. There was a number on it that I never once called, but always saved, just in case something like this happened. This number was the last one I wanted to call, but if I was going to protect Nanoha, then there was no choice. When I dialled, a woman picked up after two rings.

"I was wondering when you'd call, Fate Testarossa."

"How did you know?" The woman laughed, it was a disturbing laugh.

"When someone gets as rich and famous as you did, you tend to piss off a lot of people. I like to keep an eye on anyone that I see as a potential customer. I like how you handled that guy by the way, very classy." This woman was irritating. The fact that she was watching, and yet did nothing, pissed me off. "Anyway, since you called, I'm guessing that you're in need of my _services_."

"That's right, they say you're the best."

"I'm quite flattered. And you're in luck, I'm on my way back to Japan as we speak, lets say we have a little get together tomorrow."

"Okay." She laughed again, it was much more irritating this time. However, this was for Nanoha, I would have to endure it.

"Meet me at _the_ restaurant, you know the one I'm talking about. Be there at 6:00 PM sharp, you'll find me at table 7." She didn't wait for my reply and hung up on me. I tossed the phone aside, then let out a deep sigh. I was about to get myself involved with a very troubling woman, but it was the only thing I could do now.

I went back into Nanoha's bedroom, and crawled in beside her. In her sleep, she wrapped her arms around me, and I kissed her on the lips before closing my eyes. I was tired, and sleep soon overtook me as well.

* * *

A woman with chocolate colored hair looked at a glowing monitor. It depicted Vita, who was sleeping soundly in her bed. She pressed a button, and the image switched, showing the apartment where Nanoha lived. Compelled, she pressed another button, and the image once again flicked back to Vita. This time, it was old footage, and showed the woman naked, preparing for an evening bath. "Ah, you're so lovely, Vita~."

In just hours she would be arriving in Japan, it would be her first time back in a year.

"Yagami-sama." A woman walked up to her and handed her a cup of coffee. She smiled and looked almost motherly, it was quite sweet.

"Thank you, Shamal."

Hayate Yagami took a sip of her coffee, and then set it down, focusing her attention again on Vita. In just hours she would be able to see her beloved again, the wait was killing her. _Ah, soon, my lovely Vita._ Her heart ached, but for now she was satisfied this these images.

She thought about Nanoha then, a devilish smile came across her face. "Things are starting to get interesting." Hayate couldn't wait to be back in Japan, every moment away was agony. But it was only a little longer, and then the real fun could start.

* * *

_A/N: I understand that I have kicked reason to the curb with this chapter, but it was fun so oh well. Also, Hayate 3_.


	10. A Deal With The Devil

_A/N: Things are going very smoothly, I expect this story to be finished by the end of next week, since there are only two chapters left after this. When this is complete, I don't think I'll start on the sequel (I may not make it at all), instead I'll be focusing my attention onto another big Nanoha project. Since details are rather scarce at this time, I can only give you the general title of the story. "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: **Corruption**." In this story, I shall be returning to the canon universe. I'm going to start planning it out right away, and I'll probably have something after the final chapter of this story is posted. That aside, this chapter I hope will provide lots of entertainment for you. _

_- Kode-Dekka_

* * *

Chapter 10:

A Deal With The Devil

* * *

I took the day off work so that I could help Nanoha move. I left things at the office to Signum and Shari, I knew they'd be fine. We started early, and tried to finish as quickly as possible. Surprisingly, Nanoha had a lot of stuff, even though she lived in such a small apartment.

I hired a group of people to help and rented a large truck. As for Nanoha's landlord, I took care of that swiftly. All that was left was loading the truck and getting a move on.

Bit by bit, her apartment was getting emptier and emptier.

There were a few mishaps, Vivio dropped quite a few things, some of them broke. Nanoha and I also had a few too many intimate moments, which distracted us greatly. All in all though, we finished loading things by 1:00.

* * *

We drove to my home, a large and spacious place, much too big for someone who lives alone. I felt a little sad when I realized how much money I wasted to soothe my heart from Nanoha's absence. But those days were over now, I'd never have to be alone again.

By 4:00, Everything was completely moved in, and we were all settled in. Afterward, I let Vivio explore the house, she looked like she was in a candy store, her eyes were so wide. Nanoha and I just sat on my bed and relaxed. I wanted to do this for the rest of the day, but I remembered, the secret plans I made yesterday. That wouldn't be for two hours, so at the very least I could cuddle with my beloved for now, which I did.

The two of us laid on the bed and held hands, I felt so young again, even though I was getting rather old. The ordeal yesterday was still lingering on my mind, but I pushed it away in favor of a kiss from Nanoha. Whenever the two of us kissed, fireworks went off in my heart, and all I wanted to do was keep doing it.

Thankfully, Vivio came in while we were in the middle of things. She made a gagging noise, showing us that she was grossed out to see her mom doing such things like kissing. She then ran off and explored some more. After she left, we had a good laugh about it, and just pulled ourselves against each other in a nice embrace.

* * *

At 5:30, I left the house. Nanoha was in the middle of cooking dinner, so she was very curious as to where I was going. I made up a cheap excuse, saying I was going to the office to check on things there. She believed me right away and didn't suspect a thing, this was something I felt like I should kept to myself.

After I got out of there, I drove down the road alone, toward the meeting place. A familiar restaurant, the place where Nanoha and I had our date, on the night when we got back together. I was a little nervous. This person knew a lot about my life, and had been clearly watching me for a long time. I didn't really trust her, but she was the only one I could rely on for what I needed to be done.

She was at table 7, just like she said she'd be. She had long, chocolate-brown hair, which extended down her back. When she spotted me, I got a look at her eyes. She reminded me of a shark. Even though she had a smile on her face, she looked scary, and her presence was unnerving.

"Fate-chan, I'm glad you're here, have a seat." I sat directly across from her, her eyes pierced through me, it was so unsettling that I had to look away. She snickered at me. There was another woman here, a very pretty one, who stood beside us. She was asked to leave us be, and so she left. It was just me shark girl now. The smile on her face became even wider. "I forgot to introduce myself, how rude of me. I'm Hayate Yagami, nice to meet you." I hesitated to answer her,

"Fate Testarossa, nice to meet you."

Hayate ordered some food for us, I didn't say a word and just let her do what she wanted. To tell the truth, considering the kind of business that she was involved in, I was afraid of her, so I'd rather stay on her good side. While we waited, she yawned and continued to stare at me.

"It seems that I'm making you uncomfortable. Shall we get to business then?"

"O-Okay."

"Good. Now lets see..." She tilted her head from side to side, acting like a child. "You want me to follow little Nanoha-chan around and protect her, right?" I nodded. "Alright, well that's understandable, she was held hostage yesterday after all." Everything about this was creepy. Hayate Yagami was supposed to be a friend of Nanoha, and yet she acted as if her safety was no big deal, and seemed indifferent about the whole deal. However, their friendship was none of my business, so I made sure not to mention anything about it.

"Fate-chan, you are very polite, but you're emotions and thoughts really show on your face, has anyone ever told you that?" I sighed.

"Whatever happened between you and Nanoha is none of my business, I'm only thinking about what's going on right now." She snickered again, enjoying this.

"Well whatever. Fate-chan, you can rest easy, I'll help you, but on one condition."

"What is it?" Somehow, seeing her smile, I don't think I really wanted to know. However, this was for Nanoha, so I would do anything.

"Fate-chan~," She said my name playfully, acting cute, "In exchange for protecting Nanoha-chan, I want you to sleep with me." The request Hayate made sent my mind into a frenzy, "If you have sex with me tonight, I will grant your wish. What do you say?" This was insane, it was ridiculous. I was being forced to choose between Nanoha's safety, and my faithfulness to her. "I'm waiting, I have things to do too, you know." She tapped on her wrist to show me that time was running out.

_What do I do? _I wanted to protect Nanoha with any means possible, but in order to do that, I would have to betray her first. It was a horrible feeling, it was making me sick. From the beginning, there was only really one choice anyway.

"Alright. If I can keep her safe, I'd do anything, even if that means betraying her."

"How noble, it seems Nanoha-chan has bagged herself a nice catch. I'm so relieved, especially after the last time." I knew she meant Chrono, and I was starting to get pissed just thinking about him. "Hehe~, you're thoughts are so clear. Don't worry, you don't have to get so angry, I already _took care_ of little Chrono-kun."

"What do you mean?" Hayate grinned at me, it was sinister, and I thought I might get chills. She took her finger, put it to her throat, and then swiped it across. "You do know don't you, what kind of business I'm in." I nodded, though I didn't want to think about that. _Assassination_. "Nanoha-chan is my friend, I wont let anyone hurt her. Don't worry, I really made him suffer. By the time I was done, he was begging me to kill him." She said it causally, as if she was talking about a shopping trip to the mall. Hayate really was the type of person I'd rather not associate with at all, she was just so overwhelmingly frightening. "Oh, in case you were wondering, that guy who robbed you yesterday, we took care of him as well, so expect a lot of money to come your way very soon."

"I-I see..." She didn't have to go that far. In the first place, what meaning is there to asking for protection, if she is just going to do it anyway. It doesn't make any sense.

"Fate-chan, you really should hide what you're thinking better. I was just repaying an old debt, that's all, we're even now. From this point on, someone is going to have to pay me, and that someone is you, my friend." She pushed her head forward across the table, leaning in a bit. "Now, about our deal, I believe its time for me to collect my payment." I understood what she was saying. I was going to have to sleep with her, and she would then protect Nanoha. Even though I understood, I didn't feel any less disgusted with myself.

"Okay..."

"Oh, don't be like that. Nanoha-chan is lucky to have someone like you, I really do envy her." Her tone sounded a little sad for a moment, but that was forgotten as she rose form her seat. Our meals had long since arrived, but we hadn't touched it.

Hayate grabbed my hand and led me out of the restaurant, bringing me to a jet black car. The door was opened for us by the woman who had left earlier. Before I could get in, someone put something over my head and blocked my vision. "Don't worry about this, its just a formality." Hayate said, but I still panicked as I pushed into the car.

* * *

As we drove, I felt someone's body against mine, it was most likely Hayate. She told me to relax a little and that we would get to our destination soon. I was being taken god knows where, to have sex with someone I just met, and she was telling me to relax. _She's completely insane, she's out of her damn mind!_

When the car stopped, I was taken out and guided along. We went through a door, up some stairs, possibly in an elevator, and down some kind of corridor. I had no idea, since I couldn't see a thing. At the end of the journey, I was led into a room, and released. I heard the sound of a door closing, and then it was quiet.

Someone's hand's touched my face, and pulled off whatever was obscuring my vision. It was Hayate, and I saw that we were all alone now, in a barely lit room. "Sorry about that, its sort of a standard practice."

"Its fine." I didn't care about that, or even about where I was right now. I just wanted to do this horrible deed and get out of this place.

"Impatient aren't we?" Hayate backed up and sat down on a mattress, which was the sole thing in this room other than us, a table, and some candles. "Its a little shabby, but its as good a place as any, don't you agree." I didn't respond, or do anything, I just stood there, looking a little angry. "Spoilsport." She sat in a refined position and crossed her arms. "Lets get started then, you may undress now." The small amount of light in the room made Hayate's eyes look even more scary than before, like the eyes of a demon.

_This is for Nanoha..._ I started to take off my clothes, one by one. Within 30 seconds I was naked. As embarrassing as it was, I didn't bother using my hands to cover anything up, it wouldn't matter anyway.

Hayate got to her feet and inspected me carefully with her eyes. "Nice, very nice, I'm sure Nanoha-chan has had a lot of fun with these." She grabbed my breasts and gave them a squeeze. I tried not to make any noise, but a small breath escaped from my lips. She moved her hands up and took hold of my face. "Now, lets start having fun, Fate-chan..." She brought her face close to mine, drawing our lips close and closer. Just as our lips were about to touch, I closed my eyes and prayed for Nanoha to forgive me.

But nothing happened, Hayate's face just hovered there. When I opened my eyes, I saw our lips just centimeters apart. Hayate was smiling. _"April fools." _She said, letting go of me and taking a step back. When she saw my face, she laughed, my cheeks burned. In the first place, she said 'April fools', but it was January.

"What the hell is going on?" She only laughed harder when she saw how angry I was.

"It was a joke, I was just having a little fun with you. Actually, it was more like a test, and you passed, congratulations~!" She calmed herself down, taking in deep breaths. "I wanted to see how far you would go to protect Nanoha-chan, it was quite entertaining, you didn't disappoint me at all." The scary aura that Hayate had was completely gone now, she looked really happy and amused right now. I couldn't believe it, it was totally insane.

"You're awful, you're the worst." I gathered up my clothes and started to put them back on.

"Sorry sorry. Anyway, I'll definitely protect Nanoha-chan, so all you have to do is pay me my usual fee."

As I put on my clothes, I felt the urge to punch this woman square in the face for the humiliation and shame that she put me through. I restrained myself. Even if this was all a joke, even if she was having fun, she was still an extremely dangerous person.

After I was fully clothed, she sat down on the bed again and chuckled again, but then became serious. "You can rest easy, as long as I'm watching, nothing will happen to Nanoha-chan, you have my word on that." I nodded, I knew it was true. "Setting business aside; I shall entrust her to you, take care of her, she's a good woman and a good friend." I nodded again. I was glad this whole thing was over, but I was still pissed at Hayate.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go home now."

"Sure thing, lets go."

She got up and escorted me to the door, it opened and we walked out the room and into a dark corridor. "Fate-chan, one more thing..." Suddenly, I felt the familiar sensation of having something put over my eyes. I growled showing my obvious disapproval. Rather than get a response, Hayate just started whistling.

* * *

When I got home, Nanoha immediately bombarded me with questions about my whereabouts. She called the office, and they sold me out, rather than covering for me. To be fair, I didn't bother calling them and explaining the situation, so it was all my fault. Instead of answering her questions, I pushed past her and headed toward the bedroom, flopping down face first on the bed.

"Something the matter, Fate-chan?" I leaned my face toward her and she was standing in the doorway.

"I'm just very tired."

"Wont you tell me why?" I rolled onto my back, and the extended my hands out to her. She walked up to me and I pulled her down on top, kissing her.

"Classified information. Don't worry about it, its nothing."

"Okay, if you say so." She wanted to question me further, but she was nice, and understood that it was something I didn't want to talk about.

She told me that dinner was ready, but I just wanted to lay here with her and stay like this. After she put Vivio to bed, that's exactly what we did. I was too tired to do anything tonight, so we just held each other. Our new life together would begin right now; and now that I had Hayate protecting her, I didn't have to worry about Nanoha's safety. We could enjoy ourselves from now on. I hoped that this peace wouldn't be disturbed ever, and that we could remain like this, until the end of time.

* * *

Hayate skipped with each step as she approached Vita's front door. She was so excited to see her girlfriend, you'd think she was going to have a heart attack.

When she reached the door, she knocked. Humming, she waited for an answer to come. Seconds later, Vita's face appeared. When the two of them made eye contact, it was like the world just stopped completely. Hayate smiled a bright smile that surprised Vita.

"Honey, I'm home."


	11. The End To A Lifetime of Sacrifices

_A/N: This is the official final chapter of the story. Good or bad, I did it and finished things_. _I already have the epilogue done as well, so that will be uploaded along with this. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

My Single Heart, Beats Twice For You

Final Chapter:

The End To A Lifetime of Sacrifices

* * *

Hayate and Vita, both naked, sat across from one another in their bathtub. Warm water surrounded them as they remained silent, just looking at each other. They used to do it all the time, just sit there and never say a word, it was usually alright. However, now that they had the chance to do it again, it was nothing but uncomfortable, especially for Vita.

_How is it Vita? _Hayate thought to herself. _Do you still not feel like telling me the truth?_ It was a fun game for her, tormenting her small companion with this silence, at least it normally was. Now, it was just sickening to her.

"Vita." The small woman's face perked up. Hayate moved in close, and the pressed their lips together. The kiss lasted for five seconds before they parted again. "How was it? Or maybe, perhaps you prefer Nanoha-chan's lips instead?" Vita didn't even try to act surprised.

"So you knew the whole time."

"Of course. This is _my_ home, do you really think I wouldn't keep a close watch on it?" Hayate then threw her hand forward and caressed Vita's cheek. "Come, lets discuss this further in bed, shall we?" She nodded.

The two of them left the tub, and dried themselves off. Again, it was silent, as neither thought it was wise to say another word at the moment.

After they were dry, Vita led Hayate into the bedroom, where the chocolate haired girl grabbed her girlfriend, and threw her on the bed. She climbed on top of Vita and pinned her arms down. "Did you enjoy it when she was aggressive like this? Or..." Hayate released one of her arms and lightly ran her finger down the woman's chest. "Do you prefer it to be gentle? Tell me, Vita-chan."

"Hayate..." Vita let out a pained breath, that's when Hayate realized that she was practically squeezing the life out the wrist that she was still holding. Feeling a bit guilty, she let go.

"Sorry bout' that, looks like I got a bit carried away." This time, Hayate gently cupped Vita's cheek, and smiled solemnly at her. "I'm not angry, just a little bitter. I already forgave both of you a long time ago anyway. Actually, I'm grateful to Nanoha-chan."

"What do you mean?" Vita remained motionless and made no attempts to push her lover away. She was too confused anyway.

"All these years, I've been watching the two of you. Every time you made love on this bed, or anywhere else in this house, I've been watching you. At first I was angry, I couldn't understand why you of all people would betray me. Then I saw it, how full of life you were when she touched you. When I looked at your eyes, I saw happiness. I realized it then, how unhappy you were with someone like me. Ever since I took up this job, I've become more and more empty as I closed off my heart. I never meant to shut you out as well, but I did." For the first time in years, tears started to form in Hayate's eyes. It was strange, and so foreign, that she almost didn't recognize what was happening, as her tears fell down on Vita's face.

"Hayate..." Vita reached up and wiped away the tears.

"Thank you, but I'm not finished yet, so let me cry just a little longer." Again, Hayate used her hands to once again pin down Vita's arms. The tears continued to spill onto her face, and roll down her cheeks. "As I watched you two have sex, I saw how much love and attention she gave you. I understood, you were lonely. Even when I was with you, I wasn't truly there, so you were still lonely, and Nanoha-chan filled that void in your heart. That's why I want to thank both you and Nanoha-chan, for opening my eyes. What you did is terrible, but its nothing compared to the pain I've caused you. That's why, please forgive me, Vita."

Hayate pushed her lips onto Vita's before she had a chance to say anything. She struggled, but eventually gave in and allowed herself to kiss back. Hayate's grip only became tighter, she probably could have stopped the circulation in Vita's arms if she continued. But she finally broke the kiss and released her. "Let's break up, Vita. You can finally be free, you can finally find someone else who can love you like I never could." That was Hayate's decision, she couldn't keep selfishly binding Vita to her anymore, not when it was doing nothing but causing harm. Hayate now just waited for the dreaded word that she wanted to hear, but despised as well.

"I refuse, Hayate." Vita surprised her, not just with her answer, but with her eyes as well, which looked hard and determined. "I don't want to break up. I love you, and I can't imagine being with anyone else. Even if its like this and its painful, I don't want anyone else, so I refuse to break up with you."

"Vita, are you stupid? As long as things stay like this, you'll only keep getting hurt, I don't want that." Vita surprised Hayate even more, when she turned things around with incredible strength and moved, resulting in her being on top this time.

"Lets run away, Hayate."

"Huh?"

"Lets disappear, and start a new life together. We can find a place and do whatever we want. I wont have to be alone anymore, and you wont have to stain your hands any further. I don't care where it is, as long as I'm with you, so lets disappear together."

"Vita..." Hayate had never thought about that. She was so used to her current life of bloodshed and pain, that she forgot that there was always another option. _How could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I see this sooner?_ She sighed loudly, realizing how stupid she's been this whole time.

"Okay, lets do that. I never could say no to you anyway." They embraced, and sealed everything with a kiss. Hayate had the money and influence to make sure that they were never found, no matter how hard someone looked. They would be able to do this, it would be easy. _But..._ Hayate was forgetting one thing.

"I made a promise to Fate-chan. Excuse me, Vita." Hayate was allowed to leave the bed. She went and grabbed her cell phone, and then made a call.

"Its me. Where are the targets?" She nodded her head after getting an answer. "Good, very good. Capture them and then bring em' here." She flipped the phone shut and tossed it aside. She looked at Vita. "Get dressed, its time to disappear."

* * *

Nanoha, Fate, and Vivio found themselves in a odd situation. One minute, the two lovers were in bed, having a very intimate moment, while the little one slept in her room. The next thing they knew, they were being ambushed, and had sacks put over their heads, being tossed into a car.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!" Fate yelled, though her voice was muffled.

"Do not worry, the boss only wishes to speak with you, Testarossa-sama." So a man said. _Testarossa-sama? _It was off being called that by a kidnapper, and the situation felt familiar to her. _Don't tell me... that bastard, I'm going to kick her ass!_

"Mama, I'm scared!" Vivio wailed, which only made the situation worse.

"Don't worry honey, it will be okay." Nanoha had no idea what was going on, but she didn't like it one bit. To tell the truth, she was probably just as scared as her daughter, it was even more unnerving not hearing Fate say anything. "Fate-chan, are you alright."

"Yeah. Don't worry about this, we'll be fine." She sounded so confident, Nanoha was forced to believe in her, even though it was still scary.

When the car they were thrown into stopped, they were taken out of the vehicle, and greeted to familiar voices.

"You didn't have to go this far, I only wanted you to bring them here!"

"Hayate you idiot, what were you thinking!"

When the sacks were taken off their heads, the three of them saw Vita and Hayate bickering to each other.

"Hayate-chan!" This was the first time she'd seen her friend in a long time, so she was extremely surprised to see her now.

"Long time no see, Nanoha-chan." Fate gave her an evil glare, and looked about ready to give her a right hook as well. "Sorry Fate-chan, I didn't think they'd do this. Forgive me." She bowed. Fate wanted to do anything but that, but found herself exasperated.

"What's going on here? How do you know her, Fate-chan?" Fate had been trying to avoid this very situation, but it was all over now.

"I'll explain, Nanoha-chan." Hayate walked up to them, and put an arm around their shoulders. "This person here," She said, tugging on Fate, "Hired me to protect you."

"What!" Nanoha eyed Fate, searching for immediate answers. The blond just sighed, defeated.

"Okay, okay. The thing is..."

After explaining the whole situation to Nanoha, she got a wide-eyed stare. "Idiot, you don't have to go that far."

"I know, but I was afraid of losing you again, so I wanted to do whatever it took to make sure that didn't happen." Nanoha's cheeks reddened. Hayate used this as her cue to rush back to Vita.

"Anyway, you guys, this is farewell. I'm afraid I'm going to have to break my promise, Fate-chan." She took Vita's hand and walked up to them, giving the group pained smiles. "The two of us are going to be taking a very long vacation, so I don't think you'll see us for a while." Fate could tell with Hayate's tone, that she meant that they probably would never meet again.

"What about us, we had a deal."

"Sorry. However, I'll give you a little something I learned from experience." Hayate then leaned in close to Fate, and positioned her lips to the woman's ear. "You can't be happy without making a few sacrifices, so figure out fast what you're willing to give up and dump it." Hayate pulled away then, and let go of Vita's hand. "I'll let you say goodbye, but be quick." She got a nod, and then proceeded into the black car that once housed her captured guests.

Now it was just Vita, Nanoha, Fate, and little Vivio.

"I don't understand, are you going somewhere?" Vita smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, somewhere very far away, so this will be the last time we can see each other." Vita didn't allow for Nanoha to say anything, and just hugged her quickly. "Bye Nanoha, thank you for everything." Without another word, Vita disappeared into the car as well. The doors closed, but one of the windows rolled down. Hayate's head peaked out.

"Nanoha-chan, thank you." For some reason, Nanoha started to fell tears welling up in her eyes. She finally understood the weight of Vita's words. "Good luck you two, see ya." She waved. The dark suited men who had been outside, got in the car as well. When the final door closed, it drove away. With the exception of a Christmas card in the future, that would be the very last time they saw or heard from Vita and Hayate.

* * *

In the aftermath of things, Nanoha cried when she realized that she wouldn't see her friends again. Vivio held onto her waist and tried to comfort her when that happened, though it was in vain.

Fate was just thinking about what Hayate whispered in her ear. _"You can't be happy without making a few sacrifices, so figure out fast what you're willing to give up and dump it." _She knew what that meant. If she wanted to be together with Nanoha, she would have to be willing to give up something. Fate was already prepared for that, and was willing to give up anything and everything for the person she loved.

She knew right away what she would have to give up, and she was ready to do that right now. So she made herself strong, and resolved her spirit. She took Nanoha's hand, and wiped away her tears. Pulling Vivio against her, she smiled at her beloved. She was going to ask a very simple question, one that would decide the future. Taking in a deep breath, Fate looked deep into Nanoha's eyes.

"Nanoha, will you..."


	12. The Distant Dream Finally Realized

_A/N: And thus this story comes to a close. Its been a heck of a run, and I'm glad to have written this. To date, this was my most popular story, ever. Don't worry though, you wont have to go too long without any more stories for me, because I have already started the next one. This new tale will be my masterpiece, my ultimate story. I have the prologue of that story complete, so expect it very soon. Anyway, I thank all those who read and reviewed this story, and those who didn't review as well. Your love allowed me to keep going, so again, thank you. _

_- Kode-Dekka  
_

* * *

My Single Heart Beats For You

Epilogue:

The Distant Dream Finally Realized

* * *

I laid down on a towel, which was positioned on top of the sandy ground. The sun's rays beamed down on me, making my skin warm.

"Fate-mama!" Vivio's shadow appeared suddenly as she landed on top of me. As payback, I started to tickle her, and enjoyed the sound of her beautiful laughter.

"Looks like you two are having a lot of fun without me." Nanoha approached us, clad in a bathing suit, and held up three cans of juice in her arms. "I feel lonely."

"There's plenty of room for you too." Vivio and I both opened our arms out to her, she dropped the cans and tackled us.

As the three of us wrestled and played around, my phone started to ring beside me. I sighed when I saw who was calling, and answered it.

"Why are you interrupting our vacation, Shari?"

"Don't you mean _honeymoon?_" She teased, laughing. "I just wanted to tell you that things are running _extra_ smoothly, we'll be ready to roll out the new machines very soon."

"Good, leave us alone now." She huffed on the other side.

"You're so cold, but that must be because you moved all the way across the world."

"Its summer here. Anyway, I'm hanging up."

"Wait, Fate-" I ended the call and turned off my phone. I sighed again, and tossed the thing aside.

"Now, where were we?" My wife and daughter then began to attack again, and double teamed me. Everything was wonderful.

Taking Hayate's advise, I decided to make some sacrifices. I asked Nanoha to marry me, but since we wouldn't be able to do it in Japan, the three of us relocated to Canada. I was still working on our permanent citizenship, but that was a problem that would be solved soon.

I wouldn't be able to run the company anymore from here, I was ready to retire anyway. I left the main operations to Shari and Signum, who I knew would be able to take care of things. I still played a role, but it was mostly just research here and there. With this, I wouldn't have to worry anymore about keeping Nanoha safe, or stay up all night thinking about the people who might try to take advantage of my vast wealth.

We lived in a modest home, in a beautiful country. We were married and a family, I couldn't ask for anything more. Nanoha was a little different. We were set for life, but she didn't want to just sit around doing nothing, so we opened a cafe. "Midoriya", named after the one that was being run by her parents in Japan, though that one has long since closed as they retired.

With this, our peaceful days would continue. There was nothing left to be worried about, and no more sacrifices to make, not anymore. Finally, I was able to obtain that silly dream that I came up with as a teenager.

I was happy at last.

_**Fin.**_


End file.
